Burns Leave Scars: Happy Christmas Indeed
by Wrote Too Soon
Summary: Eleven years ago, Severus Snape's daughter was kept from him by the woman he was so sure he loved. He has never stopped searching for her though. Jaiden Zena Burns, who goes by Zena, is a girl of gloomy stature. As her first year of Hogwarts drags on she must face the ups and downs that comes with being a Slytherin while the Chamber of Secrets is opened.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It was a night that you couldn't easily ignore; a dark one. The sky was darker than it ever had been over the small shack on the country side. Shutters hung to the window by rusted to the core hinges that would break at the slightest touch, the windows themselves were cracked and shattered and would fall to the ground at the slightest bit of pressure to it, and wood was nailed to the wall structures in awkward, unsightly positions their sole purpose to cover rotted away holes in the carcasses of the original wood. Truth be told, the shack should have been condemned years ago, but no one really thought anyone lived there.

If anyone lived there at the moment they wouldn't be tomorrow morning, because they'd probably be crushed by the collapsed building. The raging storm wouldn't just disappear when you went to sleep; it was a dark storm that made your darkest thoughts emerge not only in your conscious mind, but also in the dreams of your subconscious mind. The rain poured in buckets, the large, welting droplets soaking anyone or anything that dared leave the comfort and safety of their homes, lightning crackled against the field for the briefest of moments, leaving behind no traces of its presence, almost as if it didn't exist. Followed shortly by roaring thunder that enveloped the ears of every inhabitant that was covered by the storm and every passerby, but soon it would too, cease to exist.

Ember light was shed on a man with pale sallow skin and long black hair studying his left arm. It was times like these that this man mused on why he had joined the dark lord in the first place. Maybe he had been distraught because of what had happened with Lily, or maybe he was furious and wanted nothing more than to oppose Potter and his friends in a way that would make them fear him. Yet, despite what he had done that night, he was still permanently branded a death eater. The glowing skull and snake tattooed to his skin glowed with a fervent energy along his forearm that lay on the arm of a chair as the forearm was being glared upon by the man that was formally known as Severus Snape.

He didn't deserve her, not him, not the slime that would forever be branded a Death Eater. He glared at the mark on his arm. He deserved to forever be branded, for everyone to see and know what he had done. He had gone and told Dumbledore what that retched, power hungry, empty shell of the mere shadow of a man was planning, but the mark still burned his arm.

Valentine LeSavauge had been Severus Snape's best friend for as long as he could remember. Their parents would joke about them falling in love when they were older they were so close, but when they were eleven and Valentine was sorted into Ravenclaw and Severus into Slytherin, they didn't talk for a long time. It hadn't been until their sixth year that they talked again, and he hadn't realized it was her until he asked at the end of the conversation…

_ Valentine had been walking back to the Ravenclaw common room when she passed Severus in the hall. He was sulking about what he did to Lily Evans at the time. Valentine, the kind hearted girl that she was, sat next to him and put an arm around him trying to sooth him. Severus sniffed, "What are you doing?" he asked._

_ Valentine shrugged, "You looked like you need a hug." She said simply. She didn't look away from him as if she was looking for Potter and his friends, or that she was scared to be seen with him._

_ "Why are you being nice to me?" he sniffled. "No one ever is, they all think I'm a loser, a nerd."_

_ Valentine smiled, "Why should I, just because everyone else thinks so?" she asked._

_ Severus looked at her, and her genuine smile warmed him to the point where he stopped crying. "Who are you?" Severus asked._

_ "Valentine," she said standing and extending a hand to him to help him up, "Valentine LeSavauge." She sauntered off to the Ravenclaw tower as Severus sat there in astonishment mulling over in his mind how much his childhood friend had changed._

They had begun hanging out again after that, and sooner or later their parents joke came true. But at this very moment, nothing even closely resembling a thought of Valentine passed through Severus' mind. All that he was thinking, as he stared at the mark forever branded on his arm, was how he was supposed to tell her. How was he supposed to tell his true love that he had joined the Dark Lord; that he had resorted to dealing with his frustration and misfortune of school ridicule by using the unforgivable curses to torture those who were too good hearted to fight him? All he was thinking was he couldn't, it would break her heart.

Severus was too absorbed in glaring at his arm to hear the knock at the door. He didn't notice the lithe, medium height young woman who walked in. He didn't notice her, that is, until he heard her gasp, "Oh, Severus."

His head snapped up and saw her standing there with beautiful blue eyes lined with tears threatening to spill over. "Valentine, please, let me explain!" he begged her.

"Explain what Severus! That you're still blinded by your rage with James that you had to go and join _him_! That you were too we–"

"Valentine!" Severus exclaimed, "Please," he whispered, "I was young, I was stupid. I had just finished up my schooling, and was so new to what was going on in the world." He tried to wrap his arms around her, but she stepped back.

Valentine looked at him with her eyes still brimmed with tears. "It's no excuse," she whispered. "And here I was, coming to tell you that you were going to be a father!" Valentine exclaimed, her voice cracking with her tear laden anger.

Snape's jaw dropped slightly, "Y-you're p-pr-pregnant?" Snape asked her.

Valentine nodded and sighed, "Severus," she looked out the window, "I don't know how safe it'll be for you if you get to see them." Valentine whispered.

"Valentine, there just as much your child as they are mine."

"I know," Valentine whispered. She took his face in her hands, kissed him one last time, and whispered against his lips, "Goodbye Severus." And before Severus even realized what she had said she was gone with a loud 'POP!'

Snape didn't move from his spot in the chair for months, not even to eat. He was broken from his daze by tapping at his window. He turned to see Valentine's barn owl with a letter. He hurried to the window and let the owl in taking the letter from it. The owl then flew off before he could catch it. He opened the letter from Valentine cautiously. He pulled out its contents to find half of a locket and a letter.

_Dear Severus,_

_You, who know me better than anyone will understand my grief, as I'm writing this, because in a strange way it's all mixed up with you. Enclosed with the letter is a photo, it is of a gold locket. This locket has been given to our daughter, that was born two weeks prior to writing this letter. I do hope with all my heart that you find her some day. If you are reading this, then you must know that I have already been killed by death eaters. I do apologize for reacting the way I did, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me._

_Sincerely,_

_Valentine LeSavauge_

Snape was astonished, _two weeks_? If he had done his math right, she was two months premature. How could that have happened? Then he realized the stress of the war could've caused her to go into early labor. He sighed, taking the silver half-locket, and went to clean himself up to head back to Hogwarts. He had known Valentine had been killed by death eaters, so the information given to him was not astonishing. He just wished he _would_, indeed find _her_ some day.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

****Dumbledore's Visit

The sun was nowhere to be seen as the rain drizzled down onto the street from the gray-that-was-just-shy-of-being-white clouds. People walked along the street in no particular hurry to be anywhere it seemed, despite the rain, and what muggles called cars leisurely drove down the road admiring the ornate white town houses that lined Cromwell Road.

Cromwell Road wasn't too terribly long, nor was it short enough to go unnoticed. No, Cromwell Road was just long enough to tire someone as they were walking from one end to the other. Despite her knowledge of it not being incredibly long, the road seemed never ending to the small dark-haired child who walked down it alongside her social worker.

"You must have been fond of apparating, Elizabeth," the girl voiced as they continued to walk down the road, "For no one who thought of walking from place to place from home would have bought the very last house on the longest street in London."

"I wouldn't have thought that you were one for over exaggerating, Zena, seeing as you tend to state what you want to say exactly as you want it said no matter if it hurts someone or not." Elizabeth Prue looked down at her ward, Zena Burns (the small dark haired girl), with a raised eyebrow.

"I normally don't," Zena replied seemingly unaware that her social worker had somewhat just insulted her choice of words. "It just seemed like the appropriate way to state that you were crazy to buy the very last house on this terribly long street."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and sent Zena upstairs to change into some nicer clothes. It was Sunday, and every Sunday Elizabeth's friend, Rupert Boyce, came over for afternoon tea. Today wouldn't be a normal Sunday though, Zena could feel it.

Zena liked Mr. Boyce well enough. He always brought lemon Turkish delight with him, and the two would share it as he told her about Hogwarts as they sat by the fire waiting for Elizabeth to bring out the tea.

Zena came down the stairs just as there was a knock at the door. "Zena, could you get that!" Elizabeth called from the kitchen. Zena walked towards the door without reply, because Elizabeth knew she would. She opened the door and saw a man that wasn't Mr. Boyce.

No, at the door was a man with an amount of tall and thinness that was just shy of being gangly. He had silver hair and a matching beard that was tucked into his belt it was so long, and a crooked nose that looked like it had been broken at least twice. He had long bony fingers, and wore half-moon glasses over ice blue eyes that were twinkling with kindness and a hint of mischief almost like a child's. Yet, the man was far from being the age of a child, the wrinkles he bore plainly stated that.

"Can I help you?" Zena asked confusedly.

"Is your mother home young one?" He asked her his tone giving away all the wisdom he had.

"I haven't got a mother," she told him, the man opened his mouth to say something, but Zena cut him off. "It's alright, you don't have to say you're sorry." She then opened the door to let him in as Elizabeth walked into the room.

Elizabeth sat the tea tray down on the coffee table while saying, "I thought you said you couldn't make it today, Rupert?"

"Ms. Prue, I do believe I am not your friend Mr. Boyce." The man said in his wise tone.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she looked up in shock. Zena stared in astonishment up at the man who stood before her guardian in a small amount of awe as she took her seat in the large armchair that faced the fireplace from the left. The man standing in the living room in forest green robes was the headmaster of Hogwarts, a school she had only dreamt about seeing since she was five.

"Yes my dear, I have come to speak to you about a matter involving a Miss Zena Burns if she is present."

"I'm right here," Zena voiced from her seat in the chair. Albus Dumbledore looked over at the small girl slightly surprised.

"She was two months premature, professor; that much we know." Elizabeth explained to him noticing his astonishment at her size.

"Of course," Dumbledore replied happily in understanding.

"Now, what seems to be the problem professor?" Elizabeth asked.

"It has come to my attention that you are too busy to take your ward to Diagon Alley for her school shopping." He told Elizabeth in reply.

"I was unaware she had received her letter already." Elizabeth remarked.

Zena blinked at Elizabeth once before retreating into her mind thinking back on that morning:

_Zena had been making herself a simple breakfast of toast with a thin spread of butter and cinnamon date jam over it when the toaster ejected a second time. Zena had turned around to see a cream colored envelope poking out of it smoldering slightly. She licked her thumb and put out the smolder before turning the envelope over to see the green inked addressing on the front._

**Miss Z. Burns**

**Bedroom at the far eastside of the Second Floor**

**63 Cromwell Road**

**Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea**

**London**

_ Zena turned it back over and opened it to read the actual letter._

**Dear Zena Burns,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

**Yours Sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Every student will require:**

**UNIFORM**

**1) Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**2) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

**3) One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**4) One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)**

***Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.**

**COURSE BOOKS**

***All students should have a copy of each of the following**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**

**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**

**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**

**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emric Switch**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**

**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**-1 wand**

**-1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

**-1 set glass or crystal phials**

**-1 telescope**

**-1 set of brass scales**

**Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS**

**ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK**

**Yours Sincerely,**

**Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus  
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions**

Zena reiterated the memory to her social worker and the woman nodded. While Dumbledore watched the exchange he was astonished by the lack excitement from the girl. The Headmaster soon realized that her personality was one of seclusion and a bit of gloom, but the personality fit her appearance. The fact that she was wearing a near Elizabethean style blouse that was white with black trimmings and a pair of dark grey pants with inch-high high heeled boots that laced up to about three inches above her ankle. Her arms were clad in mesh fingerless gloves that went up to about mid-upper arm on her, a silver ribbon was tied around one of her belt loops in a bow, and her hair was in an odd fashion. It had two braids on the left side of her head and the right side was left to hang down. Her appearance should have given her personality away automatically, but it seemed the Headmaster was being unusually unobservant today.

"I do admit to the problem you have brought up, it's around this time that the orphanages are in great panic because some of the residents are going to Hogwarts and have no way of getting their supplies themselves." Elizabeth replied.

"I do believe I can arrange for someone to take her while you are busy Ms. Prue." Elizabeth nodded. "They will be here one day next week." Dumbledore nodded before leaving by apparating away.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**April Palmer and Her Parent Problems****  
**

Nothing interesting had happened the week following Zena's receiving of her Hogwarts letter, and nothing interesting had happened when she was taken shopping in Diagon Alley. The woman who had taken her shopping though had introduced herself as Aurora Sinistra. The woman told Zena that she would address her as Professor Sinistra as she was going to be her Astronomy professor during the upcoming school year.

Zena had liked her well enough; she seemed like the type of person she could come to admire. Professor Sinistra had long dark hair, olive colored skin, and kind brown eyes. She had helped her open her mother's Gringott's account, and gave Zena her train ticket.

As of right now, though, Zena sat in an empty train compartment waiting for it to take off. She stared out the window her mind wandering back to the things she had read in her school books. The only thoughts of them that gained her interest though were the ones of potions.

Just the idea of being able to brew something that could change the course of any situation at the drop of a hat amazed her. She had been so enthralled by the concept she had read every book on it in Elizabeth's library, and there were quite a few for some reason. Even now she had a book on the topic in her lap, but she was saving it for the long trip ahead.

Yet, just as she was about to give in she heard the man who had been holding the first cart door open let out a call to the train driver, "Ready for departure!" Zena thanked Merlin as she felt the train start up and begin to roll out of the station.

As soon as they were a fair ways away from the station she opened her book and began to read about the history of sleeping potions. And she was about half way through the book when her compartment's door was opened. Zena looked up from her book almost immediately to see a girl with bushy brown hair stick her head in, "You wouldn't have happened to have seen a toad would you?" the girl asked irritably as if the toad had gone missing before.

"No," Zena told her, "I haven't." Zena was about to turn back to her book.

"Oh," the girl exclaimed walking into Zena's compartment. "What are you reading?" Zena stared at her as if she were insane.

"_A Peaceful Slumber: The History of Sleeping Drafts_ by Walker Eisenhower," Zena told the girl hoping it would get her to leave.

The girl furrowed her eyebrows, "Isn't that a little advanced for a first year?"

"Isn't it rude to invite yourself into someone's compartment?" Zena snipped without thinking.

"Well excuse me for trying to be kind," the girl snapped back.

"I didn't ask you into my compartment, nor did I ask for your company. I do not believe it to be kind if you were not asked for it. Thank you for your consideration, but if you please," Zena told her picking up her book to begin where she had left off, "I would like to return to my reading."

The girl glared at Zena as she stormed out of the compartment in a hurry. Zena sighed and shook her head at the girl's pointless intrusion continuing to read on. Zena was nearly finished when she felt something tapping everywhere on her shoulder. She looked over to it and saw a large, furry spider sitting on her shoulder.

She sighed and moved her hand over to her shoulder for it to crawl onto. She then set it on the seat next to her. The spider sat there for the longest time just staring at her, "Well," she snapped at it, "Do you want to find your owner or not? If I were to squish you it wouldn't help anybody, and besides, I'm sure someone is going to come looking for you sooner or later." She then turned back to her book.

Zena was on the final page when a knock came at the door of her compartment. She turned to the door to see a girl standing there. It wasn't the same girl as before, instead it was a girl with fiery red ringlets that went to her chin. She wore a dark blue romper with simple black Mary Jane shoes. Zena gestured for her to open the door, and she did just that.

Zena immediately took a much better liking to the girl who stood before her now then the girl from before. "Can I help you?" Zena probed.

"You wouldn't have happened to have seen an abnormally large spider would you?" she asked twiddling her thumbs.

"Don't twiddle your thumbs like that, it makes you look scared. I'm barely a month past eleven years, much less someone to be scared of." Zena told her sounding a little more formal than she would've liked.

"I don't mean to act so timid," the girl softly exclaimed throwing her arms up into the air as she collapsed in the seat across from Zena. The girl was about to continue speaking when she was cut off by the trolley maid. "Would you like to split a tin of Turkish Delight with me?" the girl asked with a sigh as she stood.

"Sure," Zena remarked confused. The girl paid for them and opened the tin revealing the powder covered candy. The girl offered it to her before taking any, Zena smiled thankfully at her taking a single piece.

"Like I was saying," the girl began as she took a piece of candy and closed the tin. "I'm not used to being around children my own age; I'm used to all my parents' friends because of all their country clubbing." She bit into her piece of candy bitterly and Zena was surprised she didn't accidently bite her tongue.

"At least you have parents," Zena muttered. The girl looked at her for a moment surprised, before shaking herself out of her stupor to say something.

"I'm April, by the way," She told Zena extending her hand towards her, "April Palmer." Zena nodded extending her hand to shake April's.

"Zena," She told April, "Zena Burns."

"Now," April began again, "Have you seen a spider anywhere?" Zena reached up onto the shelf above April's head and extending the spider towards her. "Thanks," April remarked with a smile, "Hope to see you on the boats." Zena nodded and went back to her reading.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**The Broken Dame**

When the first years were directed to the boats, it was not the half-giant Hagrid that greated them like Mr. Boyce had told her it would be. Instead, it was Professor Sinistra. "Now children, for those of you who have heard of Hogwarts, I am sure you are curious as to why Hagrid, the gate keeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor, is not here to guide you to the castle." Many of the children voiced their affirmative opinion.

"This is because he is busy taking care of problems that have come up in his home. I offered and am very happy to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now if you would please follow me to the boats." She gestured for them to follow and they did.

Every first year was loaded into a boat in groups of four. Zena was sitting silently letting the boat magically float them along while she stared in the water trying to decide if her hair looked okay for the sorting ceremony and beginning of term feast. She wasn't a vain person; she just didn't want people to think she didn't care if she was there or not.

She turned away from her water reflection just as Professor Sinistra called out, "You'll get your first glimpse of the school to your left!" Zena looked to her left to see a large castle with tall circular stone towers fat and skinny with blue pointed roofs. Windows large and small, mosaic and not were scattered along every tower and corridor that connected the towers. The night sky, stars, and full moon gave it a beautiful, yet somewhat eerie look, and Zena couldn't help but let one of her odd half-smiles glide onto her face.

Zena never fully smiled. It wasn't that she didn't want to, it was more that she didn't feel the need to. Her half-smiles gave her the ability to give off the aura that she had struggled in her past and was not going to be as cheery and bubbly as most girls her age, yet showed that she was happy or enjoyed what was being said or was happening. Many people thought it meant she was smiling to make them feel like they had said something that she enjoyed, but didn't really. So many people thought she was rude when they met her.

"It's beautiful," a familiar voice said softly from behind Zena. The dark-haired girl turned to see the girl who had introduced herself as April Palmer sitting next to her. "Hi Zena," April said happily as if they had been friends forever.

"Hi," Zena said a little confused, "Did you get your spider back into its cage?"

"Oh, it wasn't my spider," April explained, "It was a boy who was in my compartment's spider. He claimed it was a baby Acromantula, but I'm fairly sure it was just one of the newly bred Giant Spiders that were in the pet shop in Diagon Alley."

"Of course he's bluffing," Zena remarked, "Acromantula breeding was outlawed in 1965 due to all the people getting eaten by them. It's extremely illegal to own one, much less breed them."

"All the people getting eaten?" April asked confused, "What do you mean?"

"Acromantulas prey on human flesh." Zena explained to her as the boats came to a stop. Zena turned to crawl out, and then turned back to wait for April. As April crawled out from the boat Zena saw the horror striken expression that had made its home on the curly-haired girl's face. "Sorry," Zena apologized, "I didn't mean to scare you…again." April nodded and scurried up to Zena's side as she began to follow the rest of the first year class.

"Thank you Aurora," the stern voice of an older woman said as they reached a small cove in the rocks where the boats were tying themselves up. "I will take them from here."

"Of course Minerva," Professor Sinistra nodded and walked up to a different entrance into the school.

"Follow me," Professor McGonagall, or at least Zena assumed it was her, told them. She led them down a plethora of corridors until they stopped in front of a pair of large grand doors. A single torch was lit on either side of the door. Zena heard April squirming next to her in anticipation. "Welcome to Hogwarts," She told them, "Through these doors you will enter the Great Hall and sit with the rest of your classmates, but before you may take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. There are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points and any rule breaking and you will lose points. Now, at the end of the year the house with the most points is awarded the house cup." Then with a simple, "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily," Professor McGonagall walked into the Great Hall to see if everything was ready for the ceremony.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" April asked softly as she dug her right foot into her left toe nervously.

"I don't know," Zena remarked as she looked at April who was now tugging at one of her curls. "My mother was in Ravenclaw," Zena told her, "and my social worker was in Gryffindor, though I know your parents/guardians sortings contribute very little to your sorting." Zena shrugged.

"What do you mean your social worker?" April asked confused. Zena flinched only just realizing what she had let slip. "It's alright, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." April told her softly.

"You told me about your parents, I suppose you might as well know about mine." Zena sighed trying to think of how to word what she was about to explain. "…my mother was killed by… 'You-Know-Who' two months after I had been born." April gave a soft gasp. "They didn't know who my father was so I was sent to an orphanage. Two years later, Elizabeth Prue found me in an orphanage where she saw me getting picked on excessively. She took me in and has been the closest thing I've had to a parent, but letting me know that I wasn't actually her child by telling me all the community knew about my mother. She only knew from the locket that I had with me when I was found by the authorities."

"Oh my," April said putting her hand to her mouth, "That sounds awful." Zena nodded, "Who's your mum, then?" April proceeded to ask probably trying to see if her parents or their friends had ever mentioned her.

"Her name was Valentine, Valentine LeSavauge." April's eyes grew wide. "What?" Zena asked confused.

"She was the woman who begged for death from the beginning of her torture due to heartbreak." April told her. "She's known as the Broken Dame."

"Why?" Zena asked. She got no reply though, because at that moment Professor McGonagall opened the grand doors allowing them into the Great Hall.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**The Sorting Ceremony**

Severus wasn't too fond of watching the ceremony. All the nervous first years fidgeting restlessly out of curiosity and fright over what house they'd be put in reminded him too much of his first year at Hogwarts. It goes without saying that year had not been one of his better ones.

Usually he read through one of his potions books instead, but this year he was watching with some interest. It was because this class would be the one his daughter was in, if she had come to Hogwarts. If she had, he was hoping she would be in Slytherin.

"When I call your name: you will come forth," Minerva instructed. "I shall place the sorting hat on your head," the deputy headmistress picked up the Sorting Hat, "and you will be sorted into your houses." Minerva held up the scroll and looked at it, "Weasley, Ginny!"

Severus rolled his eyes thinking, _how many children do they have?_ It goes without saying the ginger girl was sorted into Gryffindor. Severus watched as Taylor, Marcus went to Hufflepuff, Creevey, Denis went to Gryffindor, and Hutch, Georgie went to Hufflepuff also. "Palmer, April!" Minerva called. A small firey, red-haired girl with ringlet curls that hung to her chin and bounced as she walked, stepped up the stairs. She was pale, but had no freckles like most red haired children did. She was nervous as hell, Severus could see and he watched with interest as the small girl had the hat placed on her head.

The hat sat on her head for so long, it was nearly a hatstall. Right before Dumbledore declared it one though the hat called out, "RAVENCLAW!" with gusto. The small red-headed girl scurried over to the table of blue and bronze. Severus wasn't quite sure why he had taken interest in the girl's sorting, he just had a feeling she'd be important in the future.

"Bennett, Nash!" the deputy Headmistress called out. A boy with dark hair and blotchy pale skin walked forward. He had a bitter look on his face, and Severus knew he was a dark child with a bad home life.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat soon called out. He stood after that hat was removed and walked over to the table Severus sat in front of.

Two more students were sorted, one to Ravenclaw and one to Hufflepuff before an interesting named girl was called up to be sorted. "Burns, Zena!" Minerva called out.

The clacking of heels followed the girl as she walked forth. Her chocolate brown hair hung to her mid-back one side had two braids on it and the other was hanging down. Her skin was a soft, milky pale and her cheeks were rosy. Her nose was turned up at the tip, and her soft pink lips were held in a straight line as she walked forward.

She wore the normal uniform, but her arms were adorned with black, mesh fingerless gloves. She also had a silver ribbon tied in a drooping bow tied at her waist on her belt. She wore gray tights underneath her skirt with black heeled boots on her feet that caused the clacking of her feet. She took a seat on the stool, her face not betraying any emotion she might have coursing through her. The hat was placed on her head, and it almost immediately called out, "SLYTHERIN!"

She stood and walked past Severus and took a seat next to Draco and across from the Bennett boy. The girl turned her head feeling Severus' eyes on her. She stared at him for a moment, her eyebrow raised. Moments later she turned to Draco and told him something. The stare had given him enough time though to see her eyes, they were black. The dark shade of her eye color wasn't very common. He wondered why he was so interested by her for a moment, but his thoughts were disturbed by Filch giving him the night addition of the Daily Prophet.

The front page showed a muggle car flying through the sky. Only one family had a flying car. Severus stood to go to his office to deal with Potter and Weasley's recklessness, the girl's eye color forgotten.

X

_ "Promise me something?" April asked Zena._

_ "What?" Zena asked giving April a confused look with her midnight blue eyes._

_ "No matter what houses we're in we'll still be friends?" April asked her. Zena froze, she had never had a girl call her a friend before. She had barely just met April and the firey-haired girl already considered her one._

_ "Okay," Zena remarked still a little stunned._

Zena looked over at the Ravenclaw as she thought on the memory she had just relived in her mind. "Are you even listening to what I'm saying!" a voice snapped bitterly.

Zena turned to look at the boy sitting next to her. He had platinum blonde hair with pale gray-blue eyes. His pointed features and the arrogant look in his eye gave Zena the immediate impression that he was a snobby aristocrat who whined to his dad every time something didn't go his way. "Sorry, what were you saying?" She asked coldly.

"I was asking you where you were from." The boy snipped.

"London," she told him.

He gave her an astonished look for a moment, and then asked another question. "Where in London?"

"I highly doubt that's any of your business seeing as I don't even know your name." Zena snipped.

The boy sneered slightly before extending his hand towards her, "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." He introduced. Zena took his hand in between her thumb and forefinger shaking it as if it were germ infested.

"What," Draco snapped, "My hand too germy for you to shake."

"No," Zena replied, "I just don't shake hands with arrogant snobs who think they own everything."

Draco's sneer deepened, "It's better than being a freaky goth at eleven!" he snapped.

Zena raised an eyebrow at him as if to ask: _is that all you've got?_ Before she began to retort, "I'd update your insult vocabulary before the next time you get caught up in an argument with someone. Contrary wise, I wouldn't consider our conversation, if that, an argument. This is due to the fact that you were carrying on a one sided conversation for quite some time before I started actually speaking to you and paying attention to what you were saying."

The boy sitting across from Zena snorted. Draco's sneer deepened even more. Zena on the other hand, only rolled her eyes and turned to the boy sitting across from her. She gave him a nod of respect before turning to her food to carry on with her dinner in silence.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

******Nash Bennett and His Pet Spider**

Zena woke to a scream the next morning. She looked up to see every girl in her dorm standing atop their beds doing some odd scared-jumpy-dance thing. "What in the name of Merlin are you all doing?" she ask-yelled.

"Th-There's a spider!" one girl exclaimed. Zena rolled her eyes at that response. She stood letting her black silk night gown fall to her ankles her unruly hair fall behind her. She looked walked to the center of the room where she saw a familiar black spider.

She picked it up and set it on the cage of her small white with black specs Scops Owl, Pine. The spider climbed onto the handle of her owl's cage. She then turned to the rest of her dorm mates, "He isn't going to do anything, now get ready or you'll get house points taken away for being late."

"Is it your's?" a girl screeched as Zena turned to her trunk to get out her uniform.

"No, I assume it's one of the boys'." She remarked simply as she closed her curtains around the bed. She quickly buttoned up her blouse, and pulled up her grey tights. She pulled her green skirt up to her waist her shirt tail going underneath it. She tied her tie around her neck, and her ribbon on the brown belt that went around the top of her skirt. She pulled on her boots, and went about doing her hair.

Once finished getting ready she slung her book bag onto her shoulder, and picked up the spider from it's perch on her owl's cage. She held it in her hand gently as she walked out of her dorm. She began to walk down into the common room when she heard a voice from behind her, "Skyros!"

Zena turned to see a boy with dark hair and blotchy skin quickly walking towards her. "I take it this is your spider, then?" she asked.

"Yes it is," he replied in somewhat of a monotone. "Where did you find him?"

"He was on the floor in the girl's dormitory. I was woken up by their screaming." She stated simply.

"Bet that was a sight," he snorted out. She chuckled darkly. "Were you just off to breakfast?" he asked her.

"Yes," She replied simply.

"I don't suppose you'd like some company," the boy remarked raising an eyebrow at her.

"I'm fine either way, but if you'd like me to wait for you while you put up your spider I will." She told him simply.

"Sure," he replied simply walking up the steps to put his spider away. Zena made her way back to the girl's dormitory and grabbed her book bag. She headed back down just in time to see the boy coming out of the boy's dormitory his bag slung over his left shoulder.

He nodded at her as he approached her at the steps that led to the common room. The two started down the stairs and headed down the long corridors of the dungeons. The two walked into the Great Hall. Taking their seats they began to eat their breakfast in silence. "I never got your name," he remarked as she was about to take a bite of her toast.

"I didn't get yours either," she remarked before biting into her food.

"Ladies first," he remarked with a hand gesture of as if he was waving her through a door.

"Zena," she told him reluctantly, "Zena Burns." The boy nodded at her thoughtfully as if he were musing over if he accepted her name or not.

"Nash," he began, "Nash Bennett." He held out his hand to her.

"It's nice to meet you," she remarked shaking his hand gently. Nash nodded at her and they continued to eat in silence letting each other know that they both found it stupid to talk excessively over trivial topics.

X

Once breakfast was over Zena looked over her time table discovering that she had Potions last with the Ravenclaws. She was about to ask Nash what classes he thought would be interesting just to get to know him when a loud yell interrupted her. "ZENA!" Zena and Nash looked behind them to see April charging towards them at high speed her bag flailing around behind her.

"Who _is_ that?" Nash asked.

"Her name is April Palmer," Zena told him simply.

"How do you know her?" he was confused by the fact that someone as bubbly as April could have befriended Zena who was dark and sheltered.

"We met on the train while she was helping search for _your_ spider." Zena told him with a condescending stare.

"Hi-ya!" April said giddily as she fell in step on the other side of Zena.

"Hi," Zena remarked.

"So," April began, "Who's he?" April pointed at Nash.

"It's rude to point at people," he snapped icily.

"Geez," April remarked, "Who ate your bowl of sunshine this morning, Mr. Thundercloud?" Nash and Zena just stared at April as if she had gone psychotic. April sighed, "Sorry," she remarked with a shrug now much calmer than before, "I've just always wanted to say that, seemed like a good time to."

Zena nodded slowly, "Alright then…April this is Nash Bennett," Zena gestured to Nash. "Nash this April Palmer," Zena gestured to April.

Nash held out a hand for April to shake, and she did. "Pleased to meet you," she remarked simply. Nash just nodded at her. The three then continued to walk to Greenhouse 1 for Herbology in silence.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

******Potions Class**

Severus had been preparing for his class of first years when he found the picture lying on his desk. It was of a small baby girl's hand holding onto a gold chain that connected to a locket that dangled in the air three inches below her hand. He stared at the picture for a long time, until he shook himself out of his stupor and slid the picture into his desk. He walked over to the ingredients shelf and made sure all of the ingredients they needed were at the front. He then walked out of the classroom to go get a glass of something strong.

X

Walking back into his classroom he found that the majority of his class was already there. "There will be no wand waving or silly incantations in this class." He drawled as he walked over to his desk. He leaned against it as he looked out on the class examining them. He saw the Bennett boy and the girl with the bouncy red girls sitting down and the Zena Burns girl just stood there leaning in the doorway.

"Miss Burns, can you explain to me why you haven't taken a seat?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"There aren't any seats left." She remarked simply. Her raised an eyebrow and glanced across the classroom to see she was right. He glanced behind him to find an empty, single seat table at the front.

"Why don't you come sit up front then," he gestured to the seat behind him. She shrugged simply and walked forward. She walked leisurely across the classroom, the click-clacking of her boots echoing off the silent walls. She set her books and other equipment on the floor and sat down. Crossing one ankle over the other and folding her hands in her lap she looked towards him her face expressionless yet with a look in her eyes as if she was trying to say _well_…

Severus turned around his robes flying into the air. He walked over to the board and began to write things down. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little wand use here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic." Severus never understood why that was, but he ignored those thoughts and continued to speak to his class as he turned around to face them once more.

"I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper…" his eyes scanned the classroom to see them all paying attention, "…in death. If you aren't as big of a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Severus turned to look back at the Zena Burns girl and saw her with quill in hand seemingly doodling on a piece of parchment.

"Then again," He continued to look at Burns, "some of us find it that we are special enough to not. Pay. Attention." She continued to doodle leisurely.

"Zena!" Severus heard someone hiss from across the room. He didn't look up to see who had done it he just watched as Burns lifted her head to see him standing there leaning over her desk.

"I'm sorry, but can I help you professor?" The audacity of the girl astounded him.

"As a matter of fact, Miss Burns, you can. Do tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?' he asked using the same question he had tripped up Potter with last year.

"A sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Death, sir." She remarked simply. He was slightly shocked she knew the answer, but blew it off as just a lucky guess.

"How about another, where would I need to look if I needed a bezoar?"

"Other than the apothecary down in Hogsmeade or in Diagon Alley," she began, "You would be able to find it in a goat's stomach." Severus heard many of his students gagging. He rolled his eyes at their childishness.

X

Professor Snape sneered down at her. She supposed that this would intimidate most students, but it didn't faze her. "What is the difference between monkswood and woldfsbane, Miss Burns?" he asked irritably, but she heard a bit of satisfaction, thinking that this question would trip her up.

She just looked up at him as expressionless as always and simply stated, "They are the same plant, sir." She could feel a small smirk playing across her lips in satisfaction at his surprise to her advanced knowledge.

He stared at her for a long moment, before turning back to the rest of the class. "Well," he drawled, his robes flying around him in a flourish, "Why aren't you all writing this down?" Zena looked towards April and Nash and saw them giving her astonished looks before rushing to take down the notes. She was about to walk over to them to explain how she knew all of those things, but her idea process was cut off by their professor. "Miss Burns I will need to see you after class."

She began to protest, saying she had other classes, "As your head of house I have the right to excuse you from your classes." He told her before she could.

She sighed irritably to herself, before giving an emotionless, "Yes professor."

Soon after everything had calmed down Zena saw April and Nash walk over to her, Nash took a seat on her desk despite Professor Snape's snapping not to, and April stood to her right trying to probe them into conversation. When April realized her attempts were futile she began to ramble on about how the way Zena had been able to answer his questions without any hesitation or fear of the man was quite the feat.

As April finished her single sided conversation, Nash and Zena gave the red-head an identical look. "What?" she asked confused and a bit warily.

"Your ability to talk for that long without anyone replying or acknowledging your speaking is astounding." Zena replied.

X

As the last of the students left the classroom after he dismissed them, he watched her straighten her things. He watched as her fingerless, black mesh glove clad hands flitted around with quick ease. She had just finished completely smoothing out her uniform and was about to go on to alphabetizing her textbooks when he finally spoke to her. "Please explain to me, Miss Burns, how you, a first year student without a single lesson in potions, could answer those questions. The knowledge known to answer those questions is not even mentioned until third year lessons."

She pulled her book bag straps over and up her arms onto her shoulders. She cocked her head to left, letting the two braids that held that side of her hair out of her face fall from their perch on her shoulder. "I like to read," she remarked simply before heading out of his classroom the clacking of her high-heeled boots echoing of the walls as she did so.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

******Harry Potter's Arrogance**

Zena was standing on a latter in the library after her last class of the day. It had been a few days since her first potions class and the ones that followed weren't quite as much of an ordeal as the first had been. Although, Professor Snape had been watching her much more closely than any of the other students which somewhat irritated her. She knew why he was doing it, he was wanting her to 'put her money where her mouth was' so to speak. She assumed she had been able to because she kept getting nods of approval.

She was trying to reach a book on the top shelf, but couldn't do so. She was about to give up when she heard someone from behind her, "Here, let me." She then watched as a hand reached over and grabbed it for her. She turned to see a boy with black shaggy hair and a pair of round glasses. He brushed his hair out of his eyes revealing a lightning bolt shaped scar. _Harry Potter_, her mind told her.

"I'd hand it to you if you didn't have so many books already in your arms." She nodded simply and began to descend the latter her books in hand. She easily set her feet on the ground and added the books she held in her arms to the pile she had building up on the table that was near the back of the library, placing each book in the designated piles she had set out for their topics. She turned to see that Harry Potter had followed her there. He was staring at her piles of books in astonishment. "What are all these books for?" he asked in astonishment.

"My homework essays," she remarked simply. She took the book from his hands and walked to the seat that was in the center of the circle of book stacks. "I thank you for the help with getting the book I needed, but I need to get to work." She told him dismissively as she sat down opening her ink bottle.

"I never got your name," Harry Potter remarked watching her as she dipped her quill in the ink.

"That's because I never offered it," She remarked irritably as she rolled out her parchment and opened a book. Skimming over the chapters on the topic she needed before jotting down some information, she heard the sliding of a chair next to her.

"Come on," he remarked simply, "What's got your knickers in a knot?" he asked. Zena's head spun at the mere sound of the statement. _How could a boy be so rude? How could he be so arrogant? How could the…_ Her thoughts stopped that sentence where it was. _How could I've been so stupid? He's the 'Boy-Who-Lived' his fame has gone to his head and made him an arrogant bafoon._

She turned away from her essay and stared at him in a bit of astonishment. "I don't care if you're the 'Boy-Who-Lived'," she snapped angrily, "that gives you no right to speak to me in that way, nor does it give you the right to try an impose on my working. Now if you would please, go!" Madame Pince gave her a glare, but Zena ignored it.

Harry Potter nearly retorted with a haughty comment, Zena could tell, but he was cut off. "Mr. Potter, I do believe it would behoove you to leave before you infuriate Miss Burns even more." The dark drawl of Professor Snape filled their ears.

"Yes, but it would behoove her to get just as a snappy comment in reply to what she just said." Harry Potter snipped in reply.

Zena was astounded by his audaciousness and arrogance. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek Mr. Potter. Now I will not repeat myself." Professor Snape glared at Harry Potter with a fervor she had never seen on him.

Harry Potter stood with an air as if he had done nothing wrong and walked off. "Thank you professor," Zena remarked softly as she began to continue on her work. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him nod his 'your welcome'

X

"I do believe it would help you to avoid him and the rest of his group of followers." Severus told Burns with an irritated sigh.

"It's not like I asked him to help grab the book I was trying to reach, I could've gotten it myself." She told him a bit irritably.

"Your spat was about him getting you a book?" He asked her disbelievingly, he was somewhat disappointed that his best student in a while was arguing with someone about something that petty.

Burns sighed turning away from her work, "No," she drew out the o, "It was because he asked…" She trailed off into a mumble.

"Speak up child," he snapped.

"He asked me what had my knickers in a knot." She replied a small blush flushing over her cheeks. He now realized why she had started to mumble.

"And?' he asked wondering what she had responded with.

She raised an eyebrow at him in question for a moment, "I told him he had no right speaking to me like that even if he was the 'Boy-Who-Lived'." She told him. "And you walked in for what followed that sentence." She told him turning back to her essay once more.

He stared at her for a moment before walking off. He walked to his private office to get some grading done when he re-realized something. The girl's eyes were black. He couldn't help but wonder…he then shot down the thought almost immediately. With Valentine's ability to act like a child even when they were 23 years old, and the fact that Severus didn't have the emotionality of a 23 year old until he became a death eater after his schooling would mean their child would behave childishly mentally and emotionally throughout life. His and Valentine's child wouldn't – couldn't, be as sophisticated as Burns was at the young age she was at now.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ginny Weasley's Bloody Hands

Zena had lost track of time. She was angry at herself for letting herself get so caught up in the book she had been reading, but at the same time didn't care so much. Walking down the corridor that led out of the library, the memory of her experience in there before she began to read invaded her thoughts.

_ Zena had been sitting in the library working on homework. She was sitting there with towers of books around her once again. She was finishing up a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay when two sets of footsteps stopped in front of her. She continued to write her last sentence waiting for them to voice their presence. "Hey," the voice of Harry Potter filled her ears._

_ "Can I help you?" she asked irritated as she reached for her unfinished Transfiguration essay._

_ "I…" Harry trailed off embarrassedly._

_ "Well, go on Harry," an all too familiar–irritating–voice probed the Gryffindor boy._

_ "I'm sorry about what I said to you the other day," He said awkwardly. He began to rub his arm awkwardly._

_ "Apology accepted," Zena replied giving him a nod of her head._

_ "That's all you've got to say?" the bushy haired girl she had had the spat on the train with asked a little exasperatedly._

_ "If you're looking for an apology for what I said to you on the train, I'm not giving you one. You're the one who barged into my compartment and began hounding me about my advanced reading material. I was well within my rights to ask you to leave me be."_

_ "Is there a problem over here; Potter, Granger?" the arrogant voice of Draco Malfoy spat from behind Zena._

_ "This is none of your business Malfoy, so just bugger off." Harry Potter snapped with a sneer._

_ "If you're hounding one of my housemates I do believe it is my business, Potter." Draco retorted. Harry Potter and Granger's eyes grew wide. "Now, from what I heard about the little spat Granger and Burns here had, I do believe that Granger is at fault here. Hounding a first year about her reading material is a very petty thing to hound someone about. The hounding itself, if I'm not mistaken, was probably more out of jealousy than anything else. You'd like to be the only one with advanced knowledge in the school, now wouldn't you Granger?"_

_ "You're gonna pay for that one, Malfoy!" a gangly ginger boy sneered walking up._

_ "Calm down Weasley, you wouldn't want another incident with the slugs, now would you?" Malfoy remarked tauntingly with a smirk._

_ "Come on guys," Harry Potter sneered, "Let's just go."_

_ Zena turned to thank Draco only to see him staring at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes, but still said, "Thank you."_

_ "You're welcome," he told her simply. "But you owe me now, Burns, got it?" Burns sighed and nodded before turning back to her homework._

By the end of her memory she was rounding the corner into the corridor that led to the great hall. A flash of red hair filled the corner of her eye. She turned thinking it was April only to see Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch the caretaker's cat, hung from a torch all bloody.

She turned to the area next to the cat to see Ginny Weasley, standing there with her hands drenched in the feline's blood. Zena paled and became a little queasy at the sight. Ginny, though, was writing something on the wall with the blood. 'The Chamber of Secrets ha–' She was busy writing more so it cut off awkwardly in the middle of the word. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" Zena asked her in a sickly voice laced with astonishment and some fright.

Ginny turned to look at Zena. The Weasley girl's eyes were glazed over, as if she were in some trance or under a powerful Imperious curse, and she glared at Zena with such hatred it scared Zena tremendously. Before Zena could ask her what she had done wrong to offend her, Ginny was standing right in front of her. The red-haired girl put her bloody hands to Zena's throat and slammed her up against the wall.

Zena choked as she tried to pry the bloody hands off of her neck. Then Ginny spoke in a voice that sounded like three voices speaking in unison. "If you tell anyone about what you saw here, I will personally tell him that you should be next." The girl than threw Zena to the ground with one powerful toss before turning back to her previous task.

Zena stood and ran up the stairs that were closest to her trying to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. She saw a girl's bathroom and quickly ran in. She found the sink and looked at herself in one of the mirrors. Her face was a sickly pale from the sight of the blood, and on top of that it was all blotchy meaning she was about to cry, her eyes were all glassy with tears to prove it even more. She had blood all over her neck and a bruise in the shape of two hands conjoined was already forming there. She leaned forward and hurriedly tried to wash the blood off.

"Did someone slit your throat or something?" a high pitched somewhat whiney voice came from behind her.

"What?" Zena looked up at the mirror to see a ghost girl hovering behind her. Zena shook her head realizing what the girl had asked, "No." she grabbed one of the old paper towels that was there. She used it to dry her neck, and her blouse to the best of her ability.

"What happened to you then?" The girl asked. Zena turned around to face her. She had dark hair tied up in low pigtails with blunt bangs along her forehead. Glasses much like Harry Potter's framed her eyes, and she wore Ravenclaw robes. Her complexion was quite pale white, but that didn't surprise Zena seeing that the girl was a ghost.

"You're a Slytherin!" the ghost-girl gasped floating away backwards.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zena snapped.

"I- I- well…" the ghost-girl thought on a moment, "There usually the ones who tend to come in and throw things at me." She sniffled and started to moan.

"Don't- don't cry," Zena said waving her hands in a no gesture. "I don't need anyone finding out that I'm in here I'm already going to get into enough trouble for missing super."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she sniffled.

Zena looked at her with a raised eyebrow for a moment, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No one ever is," she sniffled, "They all think I'm an ugly, miserable sop." She started to moan again.

"Why would someone think you're ugly?"

"My glasses, apparently;" The ghost-girl had now taken a seat (or what resembled sitting due to her ghostly appearance) on one of the sinks. Zena turned around to face her again.

"That makes absolutely no sense." Zena told her and the girl gave her something that resembled a smile, "I mean, look at Harry Potter, he's got glasses just like yours and all the girls fancy him." The girl gave something that resembled a laugh.

"I'm Myrtle, by the way." The ghost-girl told her.

"Zena Burns," Zena told her extending her hand.

"What do you expect me to with that?" Myrtle asked starting to sniffle again.

"I didn't really expect you to do anything. I just thought I'd extend the courtesy to you out of politeness. I'd figure not doing it would be impolite and offend you, but seeing as your expression holding it out probably was worse than doing nothing. I apologize." Zena remarked softly.

"You're awfully sophisticated for your age you know." Myrtle told her.

"So I've been told," Zena remarked, "I'd love to stay and continue this conversation, but I really should get to my dormitory before anyone realizes I'm missing." Myrtle nodded. "It was nice meeting you." Zena told her checking her neck in the mirror one more time before scurrying off.

"It was nice meeting you too, Zena Burns!" Myrtle called after her and Zena couldn't help but give a small smile.

* * *

**A/N: I leave for vacation tomorrow :-) I'm going to Disney World and Harry Potter World in Universal Studios (SQUEEEEE!) so i figured i'd post because i probably won't be able to while i'm there. Hope you enjoy them! And review please, i'd love to see what you have to say about my story :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

****IOUs to Draco Malfoy

She scurried down the corridors, nearly fell down the stairs three times she was going so fast, and then nearly ran into Nash as she stopped in the corridor she had just been going do to get to super in the Great Hall. Everyone in the Hogwarts student body was standing in the corridor whispering to someone about something or other. "What happened?" Zena asked her friend.

Nash shook his head and pointed a shaky finger up at the wall before them. Zena then saw what everyone was whispering about. There on the wall was Filch's cat just like she had seen it when Ginny was using its blood to write on the wall. She turned her head a little further to see the finished message.

_THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED  
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE_

After she read that, Zena couldn't tell you what happened next.

X

Severus looked behind him at the students to see them all whispering about the message that had been written on the wall that was in front of them all. His eyes traveled over them silencing them. He then saw Burns standing next to Bennett, and he knew for a fact she hadn't been there before. He brushed it off thinking she had just pushed her way through the crowd to her friend. Yet, he watched as she leaned over and whispered something to him. Bennett lifted his hand to point at the writing on the wall.

Severus raised his eyebrow wondering why she had to ask; certainly she had seen it when they all walked in on Potter and his little group standing in front of it. He then recalled that she hadn't been at dinner. Knowing her ability to stick her nose in a book and not respond to anything for hours he figured she had just been in the library. His thoughts were cut short at that when the Headmaster began to speak. "All students will follow their prefects and report to their dormitories immediately."

Severus was about to turn to gesture to the two Slytherin prefects to go when he heard a scream. He rolled his eyes at the delayed scream thinking it was just some really stupid student until he had completely turned around to see Burns' eyes roll backwards as she fell over unconcious onto Bennett.

"Mr. Bennett if you would help me carry Mrs. Burns to the infirmary?" Severus heard Aurora Sinistra say as she leaned down to lift up the young girl by her underarms. The girl's friend then grabbed her feet and the two then carried her to the infirmary leaving Severus to speculate why Burns, of all people, would faint at the sight of the message on the wall.

X…X

The next morning came with a pounding headache. Zena groaned as she opened her eyes to sit up. She blinked a few times trying to get used to the light around her. When her eyes adjusted to it she saw April and Nash standing on one side of her hospital bed glaring at someone on the other side of the cot. She turned to see Draco Malfoy sitting there tapping his foot somewhat impatiently. Draco noticed he was staring at him, and nodded at her. She gave him a nod in return before turning to her friends.

April and Nash stared at her confused for a moment before shaking their heads and proceeding on asking if she felt alright. She nodded and told them she was just a bit hungry and they nodded walking over to Madame Pomfrey to ask when she would be released.

Zena turned her head to face Draco. "Have you figured out what your IOU is going to be used for?"

Draco nodded, Zena raised her eyebrow prompting him to tell her. He sighed and she thought she could see a slight blush forming on his cheeks. "I need you to tutor me in potions." He muttered.

"Why would you ask me?" she asked him confused, "I'm only a first year."

"I've seen you reading in the common room, you've always got your nose stuck in some potions book about something no one in our years would read, much less understand." He replied.

"Alright," she remarked with a sigh.

Draco gave her a small smile in thanks. "It has to be somewhere where no one can see and rat on us, though, I'd hate to think of the embarrassment I'd get from being tutored by a first year."

"Understandable." Zena told him with a nod. He then stood and bid her farewell before walking off.

"Alright, there's good news and there's bad news." April told her as she and Nash walked up to her bed once more.

"What's the bad news?" Zena asked automatically.

"Professor Snape asked to see you once you got discharged from the hospital wing," Nash told her.

"The good news, somewhat, is that you're getting discharged right now." April told her with a smile. Zena stood with a nod. She then began to head out of the Hospital Wing.

"Where are you going?" April asked jogging to catch up with her, Nash following while rolling his eyes at April's foolishness.

"To see what Professor Snape wants…" Zena remarked slowly.

"Oh," April muttered, "Yeah…"

April and Nash walked Zena to Professor Snape's classroom, but hurried off after that. She walked into the classroom and over to the door that led to his personal office where she knew he would be. She knocked on the door, "What?" he snapped from inside.

"You wanted to see me, professor?" she remarked.

"Come in Miss Burns," he remarked exasperatedly.

She tried to open the door to discover it was locked. "The door's locked." She told him.

"What?" Snape asked, "It is n- oh." He muttered, irritably that he had been wrong.

She walked in after he had taken a seat back at his desk. She took a seat in front of his desk awkwardly. "Would you care to explain to me why you weren't at dinner last night?" he asked her. She knew thought that "Would you care to explain" really meant "Tell me or I'm going to assume you were doing something that is detention-worthy."

"I got caught up in the library," she told him simply.

"That was what I assumed, but I was wondering how someone could ignore their hunger all throughout a meal and asked Madame Pince what time you left. She told me you had left only twenty minutes after dinner. Now would you elaborate." He told her giving her a stern look. She sighed thinking of a way to weasel her way out of this one, because she didn't want to mention the Ginny incident. For two reasons, one: he wouldn't believe her; two: she didn't want to end up getting petrified like Mrs. Norris. Unknowingly she had reached up to rub the dark blue bruise on her neck.

"Dear lord child, what happened to your neck?" Snape asked somewhat astonished.

"Nothing," she muttered darkly. He raised an eyebrow at her before dismissing her irritably. She felt a wave of relief as she walked out of her Head of House's office without having to tell him why she had missed dinner entirely.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The Girl's Lavatory

"So, what are your plans for Christmas?" April asked while she balanced on the ledge of Professor Sprout's garden of flowers that she had set along the perimeter of the Green Houses. Zena flinched, she knew Elizabeth would probably want to spend Christmas alone with Mr. Boyce for once after ten years of having Zena around.

Zena knew Elizabeth took care of her more out of sheer pity for her easily-picked-on-yet-dark-and-sinister personality and the fact that she was never adopted during the first few years Elizabeth had her. Elizabeth was her social worker that acted as a guardian, nothing more. Along with that, Draco had asked her to stay so they could more tutoring in.

While Zena was getting lost in her thoughts, Nash's voice managed to find her before she got too far into them. "April, Christmas holiday is a month away, why are you thinking about it now?" he asked her a little irritated.

"Is it so wrong that I'm excited?" April asked indignantly.

"Don't get cross, I just think you're getting a little over zealous." Nash told her simply.

Zena could see a bit of sadness in his eyes though, as if something about Christmas at home wasn't right anymore. "I'm staying here," Zena voiced before the conversation that had the potential of being another argument between the two could get any more heated.

"So am I," Nash voiced in reply to Zena's statement.

"Why, do you not like your families?" April whined.

"I don't have one," Zena remarked nonchalantly. Nash looked at her in understanding, but April gawked in astonishment. "I don't know why you'd want to go home, April." Zena remarked slightly snide.

"Yeah," Nash added, "From what you've told us about your parents, I assume all you'd do for Christmas is open your presents quickly so your parents can get to the country club on time."

"What has got you guys' noses ou of joint?" April asked jumping down from the ledge.

"Let's just say my home life isn't the best," Nash remarked bitterly.

"I second that," Zena remarked somewhat bitterly.

"Are you orphans or something?" April exclaimed horrified.

Zena sighed, "April," she began her voice even, "I know you think you're parents just might be a bit neglectful, but at least you have them around."

"And be grateful that they actually care enough to bring you along to where they go." Nash put in.

April sighed, "I suppose," she remarked, "The thing is though," she remarked in the tone the two Slytherins knew well, the tone they called 'The Ravenclaw Tone'. It was the tone that April used whenever she was about to spew random facts that had to do with their conversations or make some philosophical comment on life. "No matter what someone has, they always want more, always wish for something better. It's just how humans are." She told them.

Nash sighed, "I need to get to the library to finish my Transfiguration assignment."

"I need to go study for the potions quiz tomorrow," Zena remarked heading in the direction of the common room.

"Alright," April remarked a bit sadly. Zena did somewhat feel bad about leaving April behind all the time, because she had no other friends than she and Nash. Zena sighed and gestured for April to follow her.

Zena led her down a couple of corridors until she found the long wavy platinum hair that she was looking for. The girl stood barefoot on the ground trying to figure out how to get her shoes down from the banister. "Luna!" Zena called.

The platinum haired girl turned to look over at Zena. The girl looked slightly scared, and she had a right to be. Here she was innocently trying to get her shoes down from a banister, and along comes a random Slytherin she doesn't know at all calling out her name when a Slytherin was probably the one who put her shoes up on the banister in the first place. Zena shoved April towards the girl and walked off towards the dungeons to find Draco. As she turned the corner the sounds of an introduction filled her ears, and Zena continued on with a small smirk spread across her face.

X

"Remind me again why we're studying in a girl's lavatory, in broad daylight, where we can be seen by a girl at any moment?" Draco asked as Zena set up her cauldron while he was writing his name on a piece of parchment.

"Trust me Draco no one is going to come in here." Zena assured him as she slid one of the books she had got on potions from the library over to him. He skimmed the contents and jotted down what he thought was important. "He asked you to describe what happens as you brew it right?"

"Yeah, the thing is, I can't brew it all that well." He muttered.

"It's fine," she remarked. "I know how." She finished as she pulled her hair back with her silver ribbon that she kept tied through one of her belt loops.

"Seriously?" he asked suspicious.

"Yes," she remarked irritably as she reached for her bottle of Lethe River Water, a dropper, and her bag of standard ingredient. She threw a handful of standard ingredient into her cauldron.

"What was that?" Draco asked her as he stared over her cauldron.

"Standard ingredient," She replied as if it were obvious, "It's the base for all potions." She told him as if it were easy.

"Oh," he muttered and then watched her as she squirted two drops of the Lethe River Water into the brew.

"What are you doing in here now Ha-" a familiar sorrow filled voice found its way to Zena's ears. "Oh, Zena, what are you doing in here?"

"Who are you?" Draco all but shrieked in fright.

"Like I said Draco," Zena sighed, "No one ever comes in here."

After her comment, Zena let Myrtle do her thing. "I wouldn't expect you to know me," Myrtle started to blubber, "Who would ever talk about ugly, miserable, moping, Moaning Myrtle!" She then sniffled before wailing and sailing into her toilet causing it to explode.

"She's a little sensitive," Zena explained as she reached for her burner.

"How does she know your name?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"I came in here one night after getting caught up in the library, I was washing my…" Zena caught herself before she could say neck, "hands! And she invaded my mirror and we got into a conversation. She's not that bad really, just don't bring up her death, she's still not okay with dying so young." She heated it up the brew gently for one minute exactly before letting it cool.

"Did you take notes on everything at the beginning?" She asked; Draco nodded. "Then come and look at this as I juice the mistletoe berries." Draco walked over and studied it cautiously jotting down a few things before he walked over to see her gently juice her mistletoe berries.

"You have to make sure to be extra careful when juicing these, if you get even the tiniest sliver of the berries skin in the juice your entire potion will explode. I would know, because Luna Lovegood did it once."

"Loony was trying to brew this potion?" he chuckled.

Zena shook her head, and continued on explaining what everything was and how to do correctly as to not blow it up.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

People are Nosy

Zena helped Draco organize his paper into a sequence that made sense before watching him as he left to makes sure the door was closed and his footsteps were out of earshot. She then rolled up her sweater sleeves and began the tedious cleanup process. She closed her books and rolled up her sleeves to start cleaning up her ingredients. "Who was he?" the sorrow filled voice of her ghost friend echoed through the bathroom as she floated up in the air.

"A boy in my house that I'm tutoring," She replied.

"Do you like him?" Myrtle asked.

"When we're having tutoring sessions, yes; outside of them no, he's a rather large prat." Zena replied honestly.

"That's not what I meant, but it answers the question all the same." Myrtle sighed.

"Wait," Zena halted her cleaning process and sat up to look at the bespectacled ghost-girl. "You thought- I mean- How could you even-" Zena couldn't even put her shock into words. "He's a friend, and maybe not even that!" Zena nearly yelled in astonished outrage.

"Sorry," Myrtle muttered sheepishly.

Zena sighed; "It's fine," Zena opened her ingredients case and set the ingredients in their respected cubby holes. "When you came out, who was it that you that we were before you realized it was me?" Zena asked as she stood to go clean out her cauldron in one of the cauldrons.

"What do you mean?" Myrtle asked trying to play it off as if it didn't do it. Needless to say she was doing a very bad job at it.

Zena turned away from cleaning her cauldron to look at Myrtle her eyebrow raised, arms crossed across her chest, and her foot tapping. Her demeanor very clearly stated _'Nice try, but that won't work with me'_. "You and I both know that's a lie."

Myrtle sighed a sigh that sounded more like one of her depressed moans then a sigh. "He probably won't appreciate me telling you this, but Harry Potter and his two friends, I don't know their names one was a ginger kid and the other was a girl with really bushy brown hair – kind of frumpy looking but really smart–, were in here secretly brewing polyjuice potion. I know from experience that second year potion students don't have the ingredients for that, so obviously they stole it from the professor's personal supply closet." Zena gawked until she heard the sound of water hitting the floor.

She turned around and quickly turned off the faucet. She took her cauldron out and turned it upside down into another sink. The water came out with every bit of potion residue that had dirtied her cauldron. She sighed and began to dry her cauldron. "That would explain the mess in that first stall." She muttered to herself as she glanced over at the first stall on the left where a cauldron and an array of ingredients were.

When Zena was finished Myrtle was turning to float off to the window, but turned back and asked, "You won't tell anyone about Harry and his friends will you?"

"I'll try," She told Myrtle. The somewhat frumpy ghost girl sighed knowing that was the best she would get out of the first-year Slytherin. Zena gathered her belongings and walked out of the bathroom and straight into someone much taller than her. Zena backed up apologizing, she looked up and was met by the kind brown eyes of Professor Sinistra.

"Professor," Zena addressed her.

"Zena," Professor Sinistra looked down at her somewhat concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes professor, I was just not watching where I was going is all." Zena replied.

"That's not what I meant, hun." Sinistra remarked. Zena was confused, and she guessed it showed on her face because Sinistra addressed her again, "Come into my office." The astronomy professor directed Zena an office that was at the base of the stairs that were in the Astronomy tower.

"I'm not sure what you mean by your question, professor." Zena voiced.

"Zena, I've been watching you," Zena was now very confused, "You seemed to have changed since you were placed in Slytherin. Are you sure you alright in your house, if anyone is pressuring you into doing anything or behaving a certain way just because of the expectations your house holds I assure you Professor Snape can easily put a stop to it."

Zena was now somewhat irritated. Professor Sinistra had no right to say her personality and overall daily demeanor had changed for she had only met Zena once before the term had started. "Professor, I assure you no one is pressuring me into anything, and nothing has changed me."

"Are you sure, because from what I've seen of the Bennett boy's brother they can be a very–"

Zena cut her professor off before she could continue, "Nash has not done anything to influence me or my behavior. I'm a naturally closed off person, and I've been somewhat bitter towards everything ever since was little, or so Elizabeth has told me."

"You address her mother by her first name?" Sinistra asked confused.

"No," Zena sighed taking a seat in front of her astronomy professor's desk, this was going to be longer than she had thought. "My mother was killed by Death Eaters two months after I was born. I was born out of wed lock, and no one knew or knows who my father was/is. I was placed in an orphanage, and because my somewhat sickly appearance a social worker for the ministry, Elizabeth Prue, took me in as a personal project. Due to the fact I've lived with her for as long as I an remember, it's needless to say that her project failed."

"My dear, I'm so sor–"

* * *

**A/N: sorry it's been so long you guys, i've been so busy with writing other things that it completely slipped my mind to update, hope you enjoy the next few chapters i've posted though.**

"I don't want an apology, professor, it's not your fault it happened." Professor Sinistra nodded.

"Now, onto another matter," Sinistra began, "Why do you spend so much time in the second floor girls' lavatory?"

Zena stared at Sinistra, her face blank. The young Slytherin girl stood gathering her things in her arms. She turned back to her professor, her head cocked to the left side. "I'm friends with Moaning Myrtle." Zena stated simply before walking out of her professor's office.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 13**

Orphans and Their Parents**  
**

Zena sat in the library finishing up on an Astrology assignment. The library was rather empty, besides a few Ravenclaws and a certain second year Gryffindor Zena was the only one in the library. She ended her last answer and rolled up her assignment. She was in the midst of putting the rest of her things in her bag when he approached her.

"Hey," Potter remarked as he got to the opposite side of the table from her.

"Can I help you?" She asked flatly as she continued to clean up her work area.

"I've got a question for you," he proposed drumming his fingers on the table.

X

_Earlier that night…_

_ Dinner wasn't very exciting at many of the tables. Dumbledore had just told them once again to not leave the dormitories after curfews, make sure to be back in your dormitories by curfew, and to not go anywhere alone when it's night time. This announcement spurred many conversations about the message that had been left on the wall on Halloween. They lasted for maybe ten minutes at most for the entire school, except for a certain group of three Gryffindors._

_ Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger sat the table their heads huddled close together. "It's completely plausible," Granger voiced._

_ "She is one of Snape's favorite students; that's bound to make her one of the nastiest Slytherins there ever was." Weasley agreed._

_ "I don't know you guys," Potter muttered, "She's not that dark, and she's never had any true ill will toward anyone."_

_ "Harry," Weasley said trying to convince his friend, "You know how late her reaction was, she must've come upon the large group late. She could've been off washing Mrs. Norris' blood off of her hands."_

_ Potter sighed, "I'll ask her in the library later tonight, but even if she is she isn't going to admit to it. We all know that." Granger and Ron smiled and Hermione nodded at him._

X

"No," Zena remarked as she tied her bag closed.

"Come on," he remarked slightly irritated, "You don't even know what I'm going to ask."

"And I don't want to," she told him as she looked up to stare him straight in the eyes. Potter stepped back astonished at the sudden glare his eyes were met with. Zena smirked slightly, knowing that her glares made people keep away from both her and her friends.

Potter shook himself from his stupor and straightened himself out. "Well, too bad, because I'm going to ask you anyway. Are you helping the Heir of Slytherin?"

"WHAT!" Zena exclaimed nearly dropping her bag.

Madame Pince shot Zena and Harry a glare before putting her finger to her lips and giving them a very loud, "SSHHHH!" Potter just raised an eyebrow at the first year Slytherin suspiciously.

Zena grabbed Potter by the sleeve of his robes and dragged him out into the corridor. "No, I am not the Heir of Slytherin!" she quietly hissed, "I do not know who the Heir of Slytherin is," she continued, "and if you accuse me or any of my friends of being that again I'll tell Professor Snape you and your friends stole the ingredients for Polyjuice potion from his private stores and are brewing it in the second floor girls lavatory."

Potter's eyes grew wide for a moment before they thinned into glaring slits. Zena sneered harshly and Potter couldn't help but wonder how the girl had mastered Professor Snape's sneer so perfectly. Yet, at that moment he just spat out the first come back that came to mind. "At least my parents would actually want to be with me if they were alive, I'm sure your mother wouldn't be all too proud of the conniving Slytherin you are."

Zena backed away shocked at Potter's words. Before her head had cleared from the sting of the insult, before she could think straight she balled her hand up and flung it towards the 'Boy-Who-Lived.' The sound of gushing blood brought her back to reality. She turned and saw Potter standing there with his hands going towards his nose that was now gushing blood. Zena looked down at her hand to see the first traces of his nose blood covering it.

She gasped to herself, but then thought back on what he had said. _He deserved it_, she thought to herself before quickly storming away from the scene. She hurried down the staircase that led into the dungeons. Potter's words echoed in her ears repeatedly as she did so. _Your mother wouldn't be all too proud of the conniving Slytherin you are… your mother wouldn't be all too proud of the conniving Slytherin you are…_

Tears were so close to spilling over from her eyes onto her cheeks as she descended into the entrance hall that led to the Slytherin common room. She was so absorbed with concentrating on making it to her dormitory before her tears spilled over she didn't even hear Nash ask where she had been when she walked through the common room.

She quickly stormed into the dormitory, every other Slytherin first year girl was asleep thankfully, so she didn't get any strange looks. Zena threw her bag down and carelessly hurled herself onto her bed. As her face hit the pillow she finally let the tears fall. Her body heaved with sobs as her hands reached under her pillow for her most prized possession.

Pulling it out she looked down at the white silk handkerchief with black lace adorning the edges. She unfolded it to reveal the small Daily Prophet article and gold heart shaped locket that she kept hidden in it. She gripped the locket so tightly in her hands it was painful, but she didn't seem to notice as she unfolded the news article.

_Another Child Orphaned_

"_Another devastating loss," Aurors Alistair Moody and Remus Lupin tell us. At midnight on November 3, 1981 the two aurors joined by many others found the Dark Mark floating above the small homely cottage. The two head aurors walked in knowing that they had been too late. They found the body of Valentine LeSauvage lying in the small hallway that led into one bedroom. Moody bent down and lifted up the body while Lupin went to see if there were any more inhabitants of the house dead. Alas, he did not find any more deaths, instead the auror found a small child lying in her cradle crying soundlessly with large tears falling down her face. Walking over to the cradle he lifted the child out and walked to the doorway only to have his ears suddenly pierced by the child's true wailing. This only made him realize that a silencing charm had been placed on the child's crib area. The child stayed in healer care for the night to check for damage. The next morning research for the child's father began. Nothing but the locket that held a picture of the child's mother and an unnamed-unrecognizable man was found, thus leading the child to be deemed another orphan of the war._

Zena sobbed and sobbed cradling the locket in her hands. The orphanage had kept the locket for her while she stayed there for the one year. When Elizabeth found her and asked for her belongings that's all the woman received. It broke her heart, the social worker had always told her. Zena knew that to be true, but it also told her that the auror Remus Lupin didn't care much to grab her anything other than the locket that she had been bearing at the time. The fact that it had stayed with Zena all this time, told her that it was meant to somehow lead her to her father who she knew for sure was still alive.

* * *

**A/N: the chapter title sucks, i know, but it's all i could think of that summarized what went down in this chapter.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 14**

Intelligence and Audacity**  
**

Severus Snape wasn't an unreasonable man; he knew when to stop when it needed to be stopped. Yet, for the past week and a half, he was so engrossed in the search for his daughter that he rarely left his private office in his free time. Dumbledore, who had been helping subtly along the way, had asked the schools for copies of their first year files and separated the males from the females; discarding that of the males somewhere Severus hadn't taken the time to ask about. He had come down to the last few folders from each wizardry school. He never seemed to find one that matched the exact description of his daughter. Hell, he even checked the American wizadry records. Pulling the last file of every one he had looked out from the pile he opened it with hesitation.

Severus Snape had learned that the wizadry school files, for any school, were a little too descriptive for their own good. He really didn't need to know what a Durmstrang student usually wore during their free time, and he definitely didn't need to know when every Beauxbaton's girl started her menstrual period. He found it revolting that the teachers even felt that it was important enough to be written down.

He sighed and opened up the last file cautiously only to find Zena Burns. He had honestly started to wonder if her file would be in here. Even if he had already said it wasn't her, he still wanted to view her file. It wasn't because he wanted to know everything about her; he just wanted to know her story. He gave a sigh and looked down at her folder.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
Student Records

_**Name:**__ Jaiden Zena Burns, is said to go by Zena instead of Jaiden because "Burns flows better with Zena"._

_**Sex and Age:**__ Female; 11_

_**Appearance:**_

**Hair:**_Dark brown-black_

** Eyes: **_Nearly black, dark brown_

** Lips:**_Medium sized bow shaped lips in a soft pink color_

** Nose: **_Small button nose that's sharp at the tip_

** Skin:** _Milky pale_

_**Concerning Health Problems: **__None that are known of_

_**Parents:**__ Mother unknown - deceased, father unknown – possibly alive_

_**School Year:**__ First_

_**Wand:**__ dark almost brown 12" Ivy wood wand with a chimera scale core._

_**Exemplary Classes:**__ DADA, Potions, & Herbology_

_**Disciplinary record:**_

_One detention for punching Harry Potter in the nose_

After reading her article he set it down and sighed placing his head in his hands. His will power to keep searching was starting to dwindle. His mind was starting to cloud with horrible possibilities of what could have happened to her, and if one of his thoughts was true he didn't know if he could handle the pain or not. The pain he had already felt losing Valentine and the baby once had caused enough damage already.

He was brought out of his pessimistic stupor when a knock came at his office door. He looked up at the door waiting for it to come again, but it didn't so he was about to go back to his sulking when the voice of the girl he had just been reading about filtered through. "I'm here for my detention, professor." _Speak of the devil and he shall appear_, Severus thought bitterly to himself as his memory thought back on when she had been walked into his office by Professor McGonagall who proceeded to explain what had happened. Burns never told them why she did it.

Severus stood and headed for the door. He opened the door waiting to hear her yelp from getting wacked in the face because she was standing too close like most students did. The sound never came though because he saw her standing off to the side cautious of the door. "Very well," he stated flatly and walked over to one of the tables and explained to her what she was going to be doing. He watched as she took the cutting knife he had given her and set on the table where the ingredients he was having her cut, slice, and dice for the more imbecile first year classes so they didn't end up cutting their hands off doing it.

He was about to ask her what she was waiting for when he saw her reach for a silver ribbon that was hanging loosely from her skirt. He had always thought it was attached to her skirt, but his thoughts were proven wrong as she pulled it from her skirt. She then proceeded to use it to pull her oddly styled hair up and out of her way. She then proceeded to begin her task.

He walked over to his desk and began grading assignments to pass the time. As he did so he asked her the same question she wouldn't answer before, knowing that she would eventually give up the information. "Miss Burns, would you care to explain why you punched Mr. Potter?"

"If I didn't answer the question before, what makes you think I'm going to answer it now?" she asked flatly not looking up from her 'work'.

"Don't be smart with me," he snapped with a sneer.

She looked up at him her black eyes ablaze with an unknown emotion, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you professor, so I find it unnecessary to tell you." She snapped.

"I said don't get smart," he leered at her. "And I do believe it would behoove you to tell what is so unbelievable." She raised an eyebrow at him her lips pursed in defiance before going back to her work. The audacity of Burns astounded Severus sometimes.

Severus began in a 'trying-to-be-calm' tone, "Miss Burns–" he was quickly cut off – "He accused me of being the Heir of Slytherin okay!' she snapped.

He sat back in his chair for a moment thinking about what she said. He wasn't angry that she had cut him off like that blatantly disregarding his position of authority. He wasn't angry that she had used a disrespectful tone while talking to him. No, Severus Snape was angry that the arrogant spawn of James Potter had accused his top potions student of being the center of the attacks on the caretaker's cat, Creevey; the annoying Gryffindor with the camera, Nearly Headless Nick, and the Hufflepuff that he couldn't recall the name of. He was brought out of his angered stupor when he heard Zena yelped out an "Ow!" that did not fit her appearance nor her personality.

He looked over at her to see she was holding a bleeding finger. "You insolent girl, what did you do?" he snapped.

"I wasn't paying well enough attention when I was explaining why I punched Potter in the nose. Obviously you can see the result of that." She replied holding her finger away from her and turning her head.

"What on Earth is your problem child?" he snapped while trying to clean her wound and bandage it.

"I have Hematophobia," she replied closing her eyes. "An irrational fear of blood."

"I know what that means," Severus snapped at her.

"Well most people don't," she remarked her voice hoarse as she pulled her hand back to herself.

Severus rolled his eyes and looked down at the girl. She was incredibly intelligent but didn't let it go to her head, but she had a sharp tongue that he knew would get her into trouble one day. "Miss Burns, you are dismissed. I do believe you have served your detention time." Burns nodded and walked off.

"Have a good Holiday professor." She told him simply as she walked out. Severus sat down his face in his hands. Just one more reminder he was alone in the world, the irritating holiday that was a week away. The saying also reminded him though, that he was supposed to attend the feast that was celebrating the holiday with the entire student body before the majority of them went home for the weeks off they had for holiday.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 15**

Another Accusation

The dungeons of Hogwarts were located underneath the castle. It was layered in a fine blanket of dirt and filth, puddles of goo collected on the floor in the less accessed corridors, and spiders crawled around on the floors of the more accessible corridors. The dungeons all around were colder than any other part of the castle. Yet, the potions classroom, the Slytherin dorms, and Professor Snape's private office were the only rooms in use that were down there. The several others were locked and inaccessible to any student; to be quite honest, they were inaccessible to most teachers too.

The Slytherin dorms were, like aforementioned, located in the dungeons. Not only that though, they were located under the Black Lake. A glass window ceiling above the common room gave the inhabitants of the dorms a view of the bottom of the lake; and the water of the Black Lake, despite its name, was much more of a green color. Due to this, it gave the common room an eerie green glow as it reflected onto the common room.

This is what Zena walked into as she entered the Slytherin common room. She had gone to the library after the feast before most of the student body left for Christmas Holiday. She was just now coming back and saw Draco sitting in one of the seats staring into the fire. Zena walked in front of the fire to see Draco's peculiar facial expression.

She knew she shouldn't be talking with Draco outside of their study sessions, but he seemed extremely angry and if she didn't know any better she'd say he looked a little teary eyed as well. "What's wrong?" she asked him as she took a seat across from him.

"I think Harry Potter and Ron Weasley just accused me of being the Heir of Slytherin." Draco told her still in his anger/"teary-eyed"/astonished daze.

"What makes you think that?" Zena asked a little irritated. Not at Draco of course, at the prospect that Harry Potter just did exactly what she threatened him as to not to.

"I was walking down the corridor looking for Crabbe and Goyle," Draco began. "And I found them, or at the time I thought I found them, and I dragged them back to the common room. We sat down in here and began talking. Goyle, or who I thought was Goyle, made a joke and we laughed. Then they started to get antsy and ran off. I followed for a while to see that they were becoming thinner and changing into a gangly ginger and the four-eyed freak with a scar on his head." Draco spat out the last part.

"What did you do to them to make them loath you so much anyway?" Zena asked.

Draco sighed, "In the beginning I really, earnestly did want Potter to be my friend. He turned me down once when we were talking in the robe shop. He told me no, so I figured I try again on the train if I ran into him. I did, but he was with Weasley. I may have insulted Weasley and Potter turned me down again. That sort of pissed me off–" Zena cleared her throat, "Sorry." He told her before continuing with his explanation, "So I just, started irritating them more and more often. It's more out of spite than anything else." Draco sighed.

"If it makes you feel any better I've got dirt on them that'll get them detention for at least a month." She remarked. Draco gave her a sly smirk and nodded, telling her to leak the information to the professors.

"Since we're on the subject," Draco remarked, "How did you come to hate Potter and his gang?"

"I started hating Granger before any of them," Draco smirked, "_NOT_ because of _that_," Zena clarified heavily, "She wouldn't leave me alone about what I was reading while I was on the train and I told her to leave; she got mad. Potter then managed to irritate me by asking me what had my knickers in a knot," Draco sneered slightly at that statement. "He followed that up by trying to apologize and only making our argument worse, and then he told me my mother – who's deceased by the way – wouldn't be proud of me because I was a conniving Slytherin. Weasley I don't have a personal vendetta with though, he's mostly just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Draco nodded.

"I know you probably don't want to answer this, but who do you think is the Heir of Slytherin?" Draco asked her as he leaned back onto the couch arm crossing is arms behind his head all the while staring at her.

Zena froze at the question thinking back on the incident with Ginny Weasley. Flashes of the incident ran before her eyes. The petrified cat…the bewitched Gryffindor…the bruise on her neck…the blood…oh dear Merlin all the blood she saw. _The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware…_ The saying still haunted her mind.

Zena didn't realize she had been staring off into space for so long until Draco brought her out of it by waving in front of her face. "You okay? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, the question seems to make you uncomfortable." Zena shook her head slowly waving him off before speaking,

"If I told you why I ran in to see the writing on the wall so late, would you promise not to tell anyone else?" She finally asked him.

"Yeah…" Draco remarked slowly, confused by the question. Zena sighed and began her story,

"I don't know who the Heir of Slytherin is, but I know who he has helping him. The reason is, because I got caught up in my reading in the library…"

X

Zena walked into the Girls Second Floor lavatory, "Zena," Myrtle said as happily as she could be when her voice was always in a depressed-setto.

"They used it tonight didn't they?" Zena asked. "The polyjuice potion, they used it to turn into to two rather large Slytherin boys?"

"Yes," Myrtle said with a sigh. "You're going to tell the professor aren't you?"

"Myrtle, Potter accused me of being the Heir of Slytherin, so I punched him. I then told him if he accused another one of my friends of being it, that I would tell. I'm sorry, I know you're his friend too, and I don't want to upset you, but he knew this would happen and I'm not going to chicken out of following through with a threat just because he's the boy who lived." Zena told her all the while trying to hide the smirk that was starting to spread on her face in a sinister glee that she would be able to get back at him for all of the rude remarks he'd made towards her and her friends.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Secrets, Secrets are No Fun, Unless You Share With Everyone**  
**

The girls' toilets on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle was a place many chose not to enter into. It has been out of order ever since a student by the name of Myrtle was killed there. Myrtle has haunted the bathroom ever since that Ministry of Magic stopped her from haunting Olive Hornby who had been teasing Myrtle just before her death.

While Zena knew this, she didn't know how her apparition friend had died. So Zena rose from her spot on the wall as she pondered the reasons she had to rat out Potter and his crew for revenge. She really had nothing against Weasley, but as she thought his association with Potter and Granger (meaning his agreement with the things they said about her) was reason enough. What made her want to go and tell Professor Snape the most though, was what Potter said right before she had decked him in the nose.

The words that had pierced her so harshly echoed in her ears word per word still. _At least my parents would actually want to be with me if they were alive, I'm sure your mother wouldn't be all too proud of the conniving Slytherin you are…_ Zena stood to go find Draco and talk to Professor Snape.

Heading down the staircase Zena heard the odd _'swish'_ noises the castle ghosts make. She looked over her shoulder to see the Bloody Baron floating along behind her. "Good evening Baron," Zena remarked as she walked deeper into the dungeons.

"Good evening to you too Miss Zena, how lovely it is to see you on such a fine night."

"As it is to you," Zena remarked, "Anything interesting happen lately?"

"Alas," the Baron sighed, "There has not, or well not that _I've_ heard anyway."

"Well," Zena began a small smirk playing on her lips as a plan filled her mind, "If I gave you some interesting information would you do be a favor?"

"I suppose," the Baron remarked, "What is it?" he grinned a Cheshire cat grin.

"Now, you didn't hear from me, but Moaning Myrtle said that Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley accused Draco Malfoy of being the Heir of Slytherin." Zena told him. The Baron looked shell-shocked.

"I say, that's dreadful." The Baron sneered out, "How is Mr. Malfoy fairing?"

"Fairly well I say, but you could help make him feel a little better you know."

"And how is that?" The Baron asked. You see, the Baron wasn't fond of students who disrespected the house he respectively represented. So the apparition would be willing to do anything to get back at those who did. That's why Zena came up with the plan to use him as the one to tip off Professor Snape about Potter & Co. instead of her and Draco going to tell him. There was a chance that Snape wouldn't believe them. Now, Zena would also tell him if they were brewing polyjuice potion, but Zena wanted to save that bit for herself.

"You could go and tell Professor Snape about it, I'm sure they'd receive at least a month of detention on top of what they've already received for accusing me." The Baron nodded.

"I will gladly defend your dear friend Miss Zena." The Baron told her and then quickly flew off to tell her head of house the news.

X

Zena awoke the next morning to the rustling of girls rushing around doing last minute packing. She rolled over with a grunt and shoved her head under her pillow. She drifted back to sleep for another good half hour before a knock came at the door. She groaned and sat up.

She walked over to the door to reveal Nash standing there in some casual denim trousers and a Slytherin sweater. "Aren't you coming to breakfast?" he asked a little impatiently.

"Give me fifteen minutes," she muttered irritably before closing the door and walking over to her trunk. She pulled out a pair of black pants and a red shirt with a black neck lining that tied in the front in a droopy bow. She grabbed her normal fishnet fingerless gloves and her boots. She dressed and brushed out her hair and put the left side into its normal two braids. She walked out of her dorm tying her silver ribbon to a belt loop.

Nash sat waiting for her in the common room. She walked over to him as he began to stand. "So did you hear what happened to Potter and his friends?"

"No, what?" Zena asked confused.

"They got two months of detention for accusing Draco Malfoy of being the Heir of Slytherin." The corners of Nash and Zena's lips turned up showing each other they were sharing in the misery of the three Gryffindors. They knew it was proving to everyone they were the same as every other Slytherin, but the 'Golden Trio' had been nothing but horrible to them.

Walking into the Great Hall, the two friends found a single table set out with food for the twelve students staying at the school for the holiday. "Why are you staying here for Christmas anyway," Nash began as they got their food while standing, planning on taking it back to the dorm. "I thought you had a mom."

"What makes you think that," Zena snipped irritably. "I never insinuated anything of the sort."

"Elizabeth," he remarked as if she were a little slow. By the time that had been said they made it to the common room.

Zena sat down in one of the arm chairs by the fireplace glaring at Nash. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk to me as if I were an idiot Nash, for you and I both know I am not." Nash sighed irritably giving her a half-hearted apologetic smile. "And for your information," Zena continued, "Elizabeth Prue is my social worker, _not_ my mother." Nash's eyes grew slightly bigger with a little astonishment and more apology for before.

"Sorry," Nash sighed out.

"It's alright," Zena sighed. She didn't like getting mad at him, he was her closest friend, she didn't want to lose that, and with what she had observed of his personality that probably wasn't hard to do.

Moments later, after eating in silence for a solid ten minutes Nash spoke again, "What happened to your parents?" his normally quiet, dark voice that was permanently laced with irritation came out soft, tentative, as if he was wary of her reaction to the question.

"Ih–" Zena began to snap, but stopped herself. "My mum was killed by Death Eaters two weeks after I was born, they didn't know who my father was." She told him quietly.

"Oh…" Nash looked off into space for a moment before looking back at her only to see her in the middle of trying to wipe away the fried egg yolk that was dribbling down her chin. He chuckled softly, before saying something. "If it makes you feel any better my mum died giving birth to me." He offered quietly.

She stared at him for a long time, "How is that supposed to make me feel any better, it just means one of my friends has had to deal with pain of never knowing their mom."

Nash stared at her for a long time. Zena was confused by the notion, but also a little unnerved. He made her feel like she was being examined under a magnifying glass or something. She didn't like it, but then again, she never liked scrutinizing looks anyway. "You know, for an eleven year old girl, you seem to have a firm grasp on reality." He told her.

"What do you mean _'for an eleven year old girl'_?" Zena asked a sneer forming.

"It's just…every other girl in our house and year is just so…so… aloof to the fact that they won't always have daddy's money to help them out of every situation." He explained. Zena smiled softly knowing it was a complement.

"Since you asked me, I get to ask you:" Zena remarked, "Why did you stay behind for the holiday?"

Nash's face paled considerably for a moment, before he gave a cough and regained his color. Nash sighed, "My dad's an alcoholic," Zena's tried to hide her astonishment the best she could, "he wasn't always," Nash quickly jumped to add, "It's just one day, when I was six and broke a picture of my brother and my mum together, he snapped. He couldn't continue anymore without any 'help'." Zena was confused, why was the picture of his mum _and_ brother so important. Nash apparently saw her confusion and began to elaborate. "When my mum was seven months pregnant with me, my brother went on a trip to visit his friend. He never made it though, the train he was on derailed. There were no survivors, even if there were some who survived the derailing aspect of the crash, the train landed in a lake and they would've drowned." Nash rested his head in his hands; Zena assumed he was reliving the memory of when his dad snapped.

"I don't know what to say…" Zena remarked, "I know you don't want to hear _'I'm sorry'_ so I'm not going to tell you that…but Nash, if you ever need to get away from your dad over the summer you're welcome to come to visit me and Elizabeth, I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Nash looked up from his hands at Zena. He gave her a small smile and nodded his understanding.

"Thanks," he muttered, and that was that.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Christmas**  
**

Christmas morning, after opening the few presents she got from Elizabeth, Mr. Boyce, and April. Nash had said he'd give her his gift after breakfast. Breakfast was a good half-hour from now, but Zena was up and walking around the castle anyway. She walked into the second story girls' lavatory and over to the sink that faced the stain glass window she slid down against it. She pulled her locket out and opened it to look at the picture of her mum. It was the most recent picture of her before she died.

Her chocolate brown hair was in lazy waves carelessly tucked under a slouchy black winter hat. She wore square framed glasses and she was smiling brightly. Zena's eyes filled with tears as she sat there her knees pulled tightly to her chest. "Happy Christmas mum," she hiccupped choking back her sobs.

She wiped away the few rebel tears that had started to roll down her cheeks despite her best efforts to hold them back. She didn't like anybody seeing her cry, and she especially didn't want to be found crying in Myrtle's lavatory. She stood up locket still in hand. She looked up from her locket at the window and there in the reflection on the window of the sinks behind her was a pair of yellow eyes and then…nothing.

X

Severus knew he had to be at the Christmas Morning breakfast, every professor that remained on campus for the holiday did, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He walked into the Great Hall only to find every student and teacher gathered around a corner in the back of the room. He walked over to see a message much like the one left with Mrs. Norris' blood.

_She knew the secret…and two can keep a secret if one is dead…_

Yet, Severus didn't think it was the message that scared most of the people around him. No, it was what a certain Bennett asked after looking around the crowd for a brief moment. "Hey," he voiced and everyone looked at him, "Has anyone seen Zena?"

"Now," Severus heard Albus begin, "Everyone is to split up and search a different part of the castle for Miss Burns. If you are a student pair up." The group nodded and set out into the castle, their holiday meal forgotten.

X

_The sun seemed to have just set, and darkness was near falling, giving a blue aura to the world. The trees swayed to the side from the harsh winds that licked at everything in the area. Thunder roared and pounded its fists against the eardrums of anyone who would listen echoing throughout the land, and lightning struck in brutally bright bolts that would've caught things on fire if it were any place normal. Yet, what Zena had come to learn, was that nothing about her situation was normal. Yet, despite the thunder and lightning, beautiful white dots fell from the sky in an array of monochromatic beauty around the eleven year old that stood in the middle of it._

_ Her dark hair was being blown viciously to the side as she stared at the world around her. She reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear to discover that it was in a pigtail, with an identical match on the other side of her head. Looking down at herself to see if anything else was different she found that she was wearing a black dress. The dress' sleeves went to her shoulders and the skirt was in elegant pleats and went to just above her knees. She had black slipper flats on her feet, her hands were clad in wrist-high black lace gloves, and her gold heart shaped locket was around her neck instead of in one of her pockets wrapped in her handkerchief. The only color in her outfit was the Slytherin-green colored ribbons tied in bows around her hair ties that held her pigtails._

_For long moments after she studied her outfit in detail, trying to figure out how she ended up in the ridiculous outfit. She was not one for skirts, so the dress itself just felt incredibly silly on her. She stood on a gray path that led to a dark, ominous shack a few yards away. Shutters hung to the windows by rusted to the core hinges that would break at the slightest touch, the windows themselves were cracked and shattered and would fall to the ground at the slightest bit of pressure to it, and wood was nailed to the wall structures in awkward, unsightly positions their sole purpose to cover rotted away holes in the carcasses of the original wood._

_She walked forward and into the shack to find it was completely furnished with a couch, a reclining chair, a coffee table, and several shelves that lined each wall. On each shelf a time line of pictures starting from when her father, a man with a blurred face and Valentine LeSavauge first met to when they began at Hogwarts. Zena discovered that the photos of them between their first and fifth years were of them by themselves. Following their fifth year they stood together in the pictures once more. Soon Zena began to notice that they were getting closer and closer together in the pictures, until one of them had Valentine with her arms around his neck from the side kissing him on the cheek with one of her feet popped into the air as she stood on her toes. She grimaced slightly, because no child wants to see their parents doing something so gooey with love, and continued to watch the moving pictures of her parents until they began to get farther and farther away from each other once more._

_Once she came upon a picture of her mother when she just became pregnant, she found that she was alone. Her eyebrows furrowed and she watched as soon the pictures of Valentine began to come fewer and fewer. In the last photo of her mother she was lying on the floor, her eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling with two aurors at her side. Zena swallowed the bile that was creeping up her throat. Only one picture of significance was located next to the one of Valentine's death, and that was a baby picture of Zena._

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it's so short guys.

On another note, there's only 4 more chapters after this.

Along with that, what's told about Zena in the italics is what's going on inside her head while she's petrified. I figured that they still have some form of brain activity even though they can't move, also i needed a bit of story about her while Snape goes through what's about to happen in the next couple of chapters.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Finding Out**  
**

Severus walked down a corridor on the Second Story to find it filled with water. He rolled his eyes knowing it was Myrtle flooding the toilets again. He followed the trail to the lavatory to tell her to stop flooding them for it took a good month and a half to clean up all the water.

Walking into the lavatory though, he found something much more shocking than Myrtle floating around moaning about her agony. Standing there facing the window in the lavatory was Zena Burns. He could tell by her frozen stature that she was petrified. He walked over to her to see her more up close. As he reached her, something glinted in his eye. He looked in front of the girl to see her slightly bent arm that was lifted in front of her held a gold chain that was hanging from her middle finger. Following the chain he saw a locket he had only seen in a single picture.

As he wondered why he had never seen her wearing it before, he looked down towards the wet tile. His eye caught something else in her opposite hand. He walked around her and reached into her hand to find a white handkerchief with black lace edges wrapped around something. He opened it up to reveal an old Daily Prophet article clipping. It wasn't any random clipping though; it was a clipping of an article Severus knew well. He folded it back and returned it to her hand as he felt very uncharacteristic tears fill his eyes.

He knew what they were for. They were for the lost love of his life. For the daughter of the two he had just found. For that fact that said daughter was petrified for telling some secret. He shook his head trying to clear away the tears as he walked out to find the Headmaster.

X

_She was as pale as she was now, not that it surprised her. A small tuft of chocolate brown hair was on her small head. The small moving picture showed the infant Zena reaching over and grasping her locket as the gold chain splayed across her small pudgy leg. She instinctively reached for the locket that was around her neck. The small tip of the infant Zena's thumb was in her mouth as she looked at the camera with innocent, blinking black eyes. She gasped and hurriedly scurried down the picture line._

_Zena watched as pictures of her blurry-faced father showed him searching for something and pictures were shown of Zena growing up with Elizabeth. Zena shied away from them, not wanting to remember any of the fights she had with Elizabeth over her father. Zena never thought about those moments very often, but when Zena was younger she would always say that one day she would find her father and Elizabeth would tell her that her father was dead and that's why she was an orphan. Zena would tell her she was wrong and they would go back and forth about it until they were screaming at each other. To be honest, Zena was surprised Elizabeth hadn't put her in an orphanage after the second time it happened, but she was grateful none the less. _

_She soon stumbled on the pictures from the present time, and she saw her blurry-faced fatherr going through file after file on something. _He's looking for you_, a voice in her head told her softly._

_She slightly gaped as pictures of Zena receiving her letter, meeting April and Nash, and attending school showed up. They then stopped because she had come to a door. Seeing as it was the only place to go she opened it and stepped into the back courtyard. The yard was completely untouched by the harsh weather and a large weeping willow tree was hanging in the far right of the courtyard with a woman sitting under it. She stood there in a white dress with long chocolate brown hair flowing down her back in waves. She had alabaster pale skin that was flawless and she had delicate, dainty features._

_Zena nearly thought it was an older version of herself, until the woman turned to stare at her revealing ice blue eyes. "Mum?" Zena asked hoarsely._

"_Yes dear," the woman replied with a small smile. She gestured for Zena to come sit by her. Zena did as asked and sat down next to her under the large, lush vibrantly green tree_

"_Where am I?" Zena asked softly as her mom wrapped an arm around her._

"_We are in the space between spaces, you are neither dead nor alive here, and the dead can only visit when it is truly needed." Valentine told Zena in a motherly tone._

_Zena pulled her legs to her chest and leaned into her mother's side, the feeling of being held by her mother was a nice one to her, seeing as she had never felt it before. Her mother held her to her side and stroked her hair gently. "Now," Valentine began, "What can I do for you?" she asked Zena smiling down at her._

"_Nothing, I just–" Zena was cut off by her mother._

"_Let me ask it a different way," Valentine interrupted, "What are you looking for?"_

"_The story behind why I was orphaned when my father was out there," Zena replied, "I guess."_

_Her mother looked down at Zena, "You guess?" she asked._

"_No," Zena replied firmly, "I…I know." Zena heaved a deep sigh, "I need to know why I was 'orphaned'."_

"_Knowledge," Her mother remarked, "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Her mother looked smug. "I'm going to tell you the story behind this situation."_

_Zena looked at her for a moment, "What's the catch?" Zena asked suspiciously._

"_I'm sorry?" Valentine remarked confused._

"_What am I going to have to do when this is over and done with?" Zena asked eyeing her suspiciously._

"_The catch is that we will not be here for long," Valentine told her solemnly. "Now…where to begin…" Valentine pursed her lips as she thought, "Aha! I know." She then wrapped an arm around Zena and held her close to her. Zena held a fistful of her mother's dress in her hand tightly, afraid the woman might disappear. "Your father and I met for the first time when we were three." Zena nodded. "For some reason we got on quite well and soon became great mates." She remarked. "Although, when he and I began our years at Hogwarts I was sorted into Ravenclaw and he was sorted into Slytherin. Soon, when we began hanging out with different crowds we just drifted away._

"_Five years after our first year, about a month into our first term of our sixth year I found him crying in the Astronomy tower. I cheered him up and we began to hang out again. Our friendship soon morphed into something more that lasted for years after Hogwarts." She replied. "But then…" Valentine's face fell, she seemed really sad and Zena wondered why. _

"_I discovered he was a Death Eater." Zena was shocked...her father had been a DEATH EATER. "Everyone was in danger from them, so the first thing that came to mind was runaway and hide. That's exactly what I did, but I regret it immensely. I hid somewhere he'd never find me, and soon…I gave birth to you. Of course he knew I was pregnant, he just didn't know when you'd be born. You were two months premature also, but I never told him where we were because I thought we'd be safe that way. Soon, though the Death Eaters found me and…well you know the rest." Zena nodded._


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Always There For Her

"Severus," Albus sounded surprised as the potions master walked up.

"I found the girl," Severus told him solemnly.

"It is very unlike you to be this concerned about a student, Severus. What makes this young girl so special?" Dumbledore asked him.

Severus froze thinking on the answer for the moment, whether he should tell the man or not. "She has the locket, Albus."

"Are you positive?" Albus asked gravely. Severus nodded stiffly as they continued to walk towards the Second Story lavatory.

Albus walked into the lavatory behind Severus seeing the small first year girl standing there. Moaning Myrtle was wailing as usual, but the ghost girl would look up from her view of the ground and stare at the petrified Slytherin girl for a moment before going back to her wailing. The two men were confused by this for a moment, but brushed it off.

Severus pulled out the picture of the locket and held it up for Albus as he reached for the exact replica as it hung from her small, petrified, nimble fingers. Opening the locket they found a single picture of Valentine LeSauvage. She was in her casual attire chocolate brown hair, identical to that of the young girl they were now looking at, tucked under a knit, slouching cap. Her ice blue eyes were framed by the glasses she rarely wore, and she was smiling radiantly. It was a non-moving, muggle picture of her, so she was frozen in that image, captured in a single moment of happiness and not that one and the few moments after.

"We shall discuss this turn of events in my office after we get her to the Hospital wing." Severus nodded and sent the red sparks to notify the staff that they had found her and needed their help.

X

_Valentine stared into the opened space around them and Zena followed her gaze as she held onto her mother trying to savor the moment. Zena soon heard a voice singing._

_**Sing me to sleep  
Sing me to sleep  
I'm tired and I  
I want to go to bed**_

_ Zena looked up to her mom to see if she heard it too only to find that it was her mother who was singing. Zena looked out at the world around her reveling in the moment as she listened to her mother sing. She knew she wouldn't be in this place forever._

**_Sing me to sleep  
Sing me to sleep  
And then leave me alone  
Don't try to wake me in the morning  
'Cause I will be gone  
Don't feel bad for me  
I want you to know  
Deep in the cell of my heart  
I will feel so glad to go_**

**_Sing me to sleep_**  
**_Sing me to sleep_**  
**_I don't want to wake up_**  
**_On my own anymore_**

**_Sing to me_**  
**_Sing to me_**  
**_I don't want to wake up_**  
**_On my own anymore_**

**_Don't feel bad for me_**  
**_I want you to know_**  
**_Deep in the cell of my heart_**  
**_I really want to go_**

**_There is another world_**  
**_There is a better world_**  
**_Well, there must be_**  
**_Well, there must be_**  
**_Well, there must be_**  
**_Well, there must be_**  
**_Well_**

**_Bye bye_**  
**_Bye bye_**  
**_Bye_**

_ Once the song ended Zena looked back up at her mother to see that she was staring at the sky. "Tell me," Valentine voiced, "How is your first year at Hogwarts?"_

_ "Aren't you watching me?" Zena asked confused._

_ "I am child," Valentine told her, "I am watching you every moment, but I do not know your thoughts." Zena nodded and launched into what she thought of all her experiences at her school._

X

"What happens now?" Severus asked Albus.

"Alas," Albus remarked, "I do not know. I did not think this far ahead." Severus, surprisingly, wasn't upset by this answer. They had always been thinking of ways of trying to find her, never on what would happen if they did. "You are not upset by this Severus, why?" Albus asked him.

"We had ideas that were always about the search, what to do next to try and find her. We never actually planned what would happen if we did." Severus voiced his previous thoughts. Albus nodded in contemplation. The two men sat there for a while thinking of what to do about the information they just found out. As they did this, Severus let her name flit around in his head; if she were to come live with him she would take the surname Snape, that was for sure. Zena Burns flowed well, Zena Snape didn't, that much he knew. He himself didn't care about that, but she might. He thought on that for a while, and then remembered what her file had said. Her first name was Jaiden, not Zena. Jaiden Snape…his daughter Jaiden Snape…the sentence was foreign to him, but he liked the sound of it none the less.

The sound of Albus' voice cut through Severus' thoughts, "We need to let her find out on her own."

"Albus, that could take years if ever, her entire life all she's had as a parental figure is a Social Worker who's made it perfectly clear that that's all she is to the child. She needs to know who's out there for her."

"Severus, I understand this, but you cannot force this information on a child at such a young age, especially not in the stage she's going to be in once she is…" the elderly headmaster paused thinking of the best word for the Slytherin girl's situation, "healed." He finished.

Severus sighed dejectedly, knowing this was a losing battle. "Alright." He voiced.

"If she has not figured it out by winter holiday of next year, I will tell her." Albus told him. Severus nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching up to show his gratefulness. The old man just smirked smugly.

"May I ask what you're being so smug about headmaster?" Severus asked now confused and a bit irritated that the man he had been confiding in for years now was acting smug in a situation like this.

"She has your smile." Albus remarked his eyes twinkling with mirth, "But thank Merlin she did not inherit your nose," The long haired, Slytherin head of house rolled his eyes as he walked out of the office, and then only briefly letting a face of joy, or as close as it got with him, spread across his face as he was out of eye sight.

"Happy Christmas Severus!" Albus called just before Severus made it out of ear-shot of the headmaster's office.

"Oh yes," Severus muttered to himself dryly, "Happy Christmas indeed."

* * *

**A/N:** There's two more chapters after this, so it's nearly finished. :'(


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Waking Up**  
**

_ "Mother," Zena began after sitting in a comfortable silence snuggled– although she won't admit it – in her mother's side._

_ "Yes Jaiden," Zena paused for a moment, no one ever called her Jaiden, so it sort of surprised her._

_ Shaking herself out of her stupor she went on with asking her question, "Why are you known as the Broken Dame, why did you beg for death during the Death Eater attack?"_

_ Valentine looked down at her daughter surprised for a moment. Yet, her face soon morphed into one of an urgent sadness. "I never wanted to leave you all alone," Valentine told her in a rushed way, "Never forget that. I begged for death during the attack because they kept taunting me about your father, about how he wouldn't be able to save me; about how our relationship failed because of my ignorance."_

_ "Now, listen to these final words Jaiden, I may have died, but I died fighting for something I believed in. When it comes down to it, do what you know in your heart is right." Jaiden nodded curling up tighter into her mother's side and closing her very suddenly heavy eyelids._

Zena's sight returned to her as she gasped and sat up. She looked around her to see Professor Snape with a potion vile in his hands. "Welcome back, Miss Burns." He remarked dryly.

"How long has it been?" Zena asked simply.

"Four months and three weeks, you have one week of classes left." Zena nodded, keeping a cool exterior while she was somewhat surprised. She had expected it to take the teachers a much shorter time period to find out who was causing all of this. Then a sudden fact filled her head once more.

X

Severus watched as she sat on the hospital wing cot trying to wrap her mind around the fact it had been so long since she had been petrified. She seemed to have understood it quite quickly, for seconds later a look of remembrance crossed her face. She then turned to him, "This is going to be a very strange question Professor, and I apologize ahead of time for maybe sounding oddly nosy, but did any potions supplies go missing from your personal stores in October?"

He stared at her for a moment, a look saying 'why do you need to know'. He decided to answer her anyway thinking she might have some form of information on why, "Yes, why?"

"It's most likely because Harry Potter and Hermione Granger took it to brew Polyjuice potion in the second floor girl's lavatory."

"Pray tell, Miss Burns, why they would do this?"

"To turn Potter and Weasley into Crabbe and Goyle so they could sneak into the Slytherin dorms to accuse Draco Malfoy of being the Heir of Slytherin." She told him.

X

"That is very helpful information Miss Burns, but I can't help but wonder how you know this." Professor Snape expressed. She nodded slightly, understanding that he was probably confused by the few gaps in her last few stories of explanation.

She sighed and looked down at the ground, "The night the first message was found on the wall, as I said I got caught up in the library and was quickly heading down to super. As I was walking down the corridor I stumbled upon Ginny Weasley writing the message on the wall." She knew he was probably quite shocked so she went on to explain why she hadn't told anyone. "I know you're probably wondering why I didn't tell anyone, and that's because when I saw her I asked her what she was doing. When she turned around, I noticed she was possessed.

"Before I knew what was happening she had me pinned up against the wall strangling me with her cat blood covered hands. She threatened to get me petrified too if told anyone about what I saw. I ran to the closest lavatory to wash all the blood off, and that just so happened to be Moaning Myrtle's lavatory. We got into a conversation after that and we formed a strange sort of friendship after that and I go in there to talk to her often.

"Although, I ended up accidently telling Draco what I saw in an effort to console him when he started to sniffle after they accused him of being the heir." She looked back up at him her face now blank.

"That was…quite an explanation Miss Burns." He told her. "Madame Pomfrey has said it was alright for you to go clean yourself up and join the rest of the student body for dinner." She nodded and hurriedly scurried off.

X

Severus watched as she scurried off to do exactly that. He then walked off towards the Great Hall to discuss more rule breaking with Potter and his little group of friends.

Walking in, he found that Granger had already joined them from the Hospital Wing. He walked over and Weasley stared up at him with terrified eyes. Severus rolled his, and proceeded to give them their punishment, "Mr. Potter, I would like to notify you that you will have detention with me every night until classes end."

"What for?" he asked angrily.

"Stealing ingredients from my personal stores." He sneered.

"We did not!" Granger exclaimed.

"Yes you did, you three, don't try to lie about it." The voice of Moaning Myrtle moaned from above them. Severus looked up to the ghost-girl and gave her a stiff nod before walking away from a grumbling Potter and friends.

"Ah, Welcome back Miss Burns." Severus heard the Bloody Baron say from behind him. He turned to see her standing there in the Great Hall's entry way.

"Thank you Baron, I'm quite glad to be back." He saw her reply with a twitch of the corners of her lips upward to show that she _was_ actually happy. Severus strolled over to take his seat at the staff table. As he turned around he watched as Draco Malfoy, Bennett, and the Ravenclaw Palmer girl, stand up to go over to her.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long you guys, i thought i had posted these, but i was obviously wrong. Hope you enjoy these last two chapters.**


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Footsteps in the Hall**  
**

When Zena walked into the Great Hall, Draco, Nash, and April all stood. Zena watched as April quickly ran over to her engulfing her in a hug that made her stumble back while her two housemates/other friends walked over leisurely. As April pulled away Nash stood there. Zena and Nash stared at each other for a long time, waiting to see what the other would do. Finally, Zena wrapped him in a hug. He rested his chin on her head, for he was a good head taller than her, as he hugged her back. As this happened, Draco put his hand on her shoulder, using his fingers to adjust the silver brooch she wore on her blouse's collar. The corners of Zena's lips twitched up a little more.

She felt a pair of eyes on her from the staff table looked up at them to see Professor Snape and Professor Sinistra staring at her. She gave them both stiff nods before turning back to her friends. "You're wearing flat shoes," Draco remarked in astonishment.

"Yeah, standing in the water of the toilets Moaning Myrtle made over flow in the second floor lavatory right after I was petrified ruined my boots." She remarked irritably.

"Sorry!" Myrtle exclaimed as she floated by going back to her toilets. Zena just looked up at her and shook her head waving the ghost girl off for it was not a big deal.

"I'll buy you some new ones," Nash offered.

"Nash," Zena remarked somewhat astonished, "You don't have to do that."

"Yes I do," He remarked, "You remember when I told you I'd give you your Christmas present later?" Zena nodded, "Well," Nash looked down at his shoes, "That's mostly because I hadn't gotten you anything yet."

Zena raised an eyebrow, "And you still haven't gotten anything have you?" she asked somewhat amused. He shook his head sheepishly, "You don't have to get me a gift Nash. I'm not the materialistic type that needs gifts to make my holiday a good one."

"I know, but I feel bad." Zena sighed shaking her head at the ground letting Nash know that he could.

"I bet being petrified made yours a Happy Christmas." Draco chuckled as April walked back to the Ravenclaw table, and he, Zena, and Nash walked back to their seats with Slytherin.

"Oh yes," Zena remarked dryly, "a very Happy Christmas indeed." Draco and Nash laughed.

X

Half way through dinner Zena felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find Ginny Weasley standing there, "I'm really sorry, Zena." She told her with a sorrow laden voice.

Zena didn't need to ask what she was apologizing for. "You don't need to apologize, Ginny," she told her, "It's not your fault." The girl smiled exuberantly and hugged Zena tightly.

"Ginny!" the voice of Ron Weasley filled her ears. "What are you doing over there?"

"What d–" Zena's hand flew over Draco's mouth before he could finish the sentence.

"Ron," Zena began turning to the gangly ginger boy who sat behind her at the Gryffindor table, "I don't have anything against you personally, or your family." The Gryffindor looked greatly surprised by that, "It's your two friends that I'm not too fond of." Ron nodded in understanding; for he knew they had been real foul to her for no real reason other than that she was a Slytherin.

X

The dungeons of Hogwarts were located underneath the castle. It was layered in a fine blanket of dirt and filth, puddles of goo collected on the floor in the less accessed corridors, and spiders crawled around on the floors of the more accessible corridors. The dungeons all around were colder than any other part of the castle. Yet, the potions classroom, the Slytherin dorms, and Professor Snape's private office were the only rooms in use that were down there.

To be quite honest, it was not a place any self-respecting Hogwarts student wanted to be if they were not a part of the aforementioned Slytherin. Yet, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley were down there on their very last night at school for the year.

"Thank you professor," Zena Burns called as she walked out of Professor Snape's office after getting the work she would need to catch up on her classes over the summer so she was not behind next year.

"You're welcome," Professor Snape said with little emotion in his voice, "be wise of Mr. Potter and friends scrubbing the floors outside the door." He told her.

"Of course," Zena remarked simply as she walked out of her Head of House's classroom. She came out to see the three Gryffindors that had been the bane of her existence the whole time she was in classes. They had old toothbrushes in hand and buckets of sudsy water located next to them.

"Great work you guys," Zena remarked condescendingly, the three looked up with a sneer. "It's such a shame that your work is in the way of my path to the dorms."

"What?" Granger nearly sneered. Zena just rolled her eyes and walked through their work, the sound of the new high heeled boots Nash got her echoing through the halls.

X

Severus looked outside his classroom because he heard the loud sound of someone walking away. What he saw nearly made him chuckle. The small circle and a pentagon with a slightly rounded structure of Zena's high heeled boot footprints led right down the middle of Potter and friends' work.

Granger and Potter sat on their knees sneering at her back as she walked further away. Weasley was the only one who was working. "Get back to work Potter! Granger! Miss Burns footprints have left you much more work to do before you are dismissed." He heard Granger let out a strangled cry of anger as he walked back into his classroom. Zena had made some enemies, but they weren't enemies any worse than what he had in school.

* * *

**A/N: Here's the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you for sticking with me even though my posting was extremely erratic and all over the place. I will be writing a sequel eventually. I'm posting an Avengers (the movie of course) story soon. It's called Like a Viper it's a Hawkeye/OC story. If you're into that fandom go and read it and tell me what you think! And again, thanks for reading! :-)**


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